Imperial Clan Chronicles
by JDoug5189
Summary: One, an Emperor from across the stars and beloved by his people. The other a King, wishing to rewrite her past, a life filled with regrets. They knew each other once, in the distant past. Brought together again, reunited, they will join the war. But are the Masters and Servants of the War ready, ready for the power of the Emperor? Rated M for violence and suggestive themes.
1. Prologue

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Prologue**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Wakusei Ariel, Imperial City**__**-**_

[Insert Theme: Falconer – The Coronation]

Within a large room that held an architectural style that is inhumanly elegant and graceful, a number of figures stood, while another sat on a throne at the top of a set of steps.

In a pair of rows leading to the thrones stood 12 women wearing combat oriented but elaborate white body suits of various collar and skirt colors with tiaras on their heads and knee high battle boots, a lone woman with long dark violet hair and clad like the other 12 stood on the first two steps, a glaive resting comfortably in her left hand. This lone figure was the only survivor of the original eight Sol System Sailor Senshi, Sailor Saturn, while her compatriots were the Senshi for the Ariel System.

The large sitting figure was a massively muscled man with wild scarlet hair that fell to his waist in the back and his bangs reaching his chest in the front while his eyes were the color of polished amber and his skin was a medium tan. Strangely, on his arms his skin was covered by smooth scales the color of scarlet. He wore a sleeveless dark crimson robe over his torso that reached his knees with matching pants that tucked into riding boots while bracers adorned his forearms and golden bands were around his upper arms. He bore a scar on his face reaching from his hair line on the left side to his jawline on the right, crossing over the bridge of his nose while a tail, covered in smooth scales, sat wrapped around his waist like a belt.

This figure is Mathias I of the Arielian Empire, ruler of Ariel and leader of her peoples. As he sat on his throne he was thinking back, in remembrance of the days when he could go galavanting off into the multiverse on a whim in order to challenge the tyrants and the despots, the just and the corrupt, in order to protect the innocent or find a challenge for his fighting skills. But, those days were long gone, the pressures of the crown of the Throne of Ariel kept him where he was, only able to really leave the Imperial city for official duties or to battle his enemies in times of war.

His favored memories of those long ago days, which meant something as he was stuck in a semi-immortal state, were when he lived among the Knights of the Round in camelot, attempting to guide their king along the right path. During those days he'd stumbled upon a secret, the legendary figure known as King Arthur, it was no man, it was a woman, a petite little thing with the heart and soul of a dragon. Her name had been Arturia, and all of Mathias' attempts to help her rule and rule well had all been for naught, that thrice damned sorcerer Merlin had ruined EVERYTHING!

It wasn't a lost cause, however, and Mathias had finally gotten his payback on the Sorcerer after he'd revealed himself as a turncoat, the sorcerer's accomplices didn't escape either, they'd felt the righteous anger and wrath of the Arielian Emperor and their souls knew forever to never test the well of power the massive warrior king possessed.

[End Theme]

[Insert Theme: Falconer – Emotional Skies]

The doors leading to the room opened, pushed open by force of magical will, and in strode a figure very familiar to the ancient man.

It was a a lightly-tanned woman with long, waist length scarlet hair that was somewhat wild and eyes that glowed violet. The clothes she wore consisted of a long-sleeved robe underneath a matching sleeveless, split-tail coat that is unbuttoned, what appears to be an embroidered stole hanging down to her knees, and slightly baggy pants tucked into knee high riding boots. She wore long earrings with jewels on the ends in her ears and a red gem in her forehead. The dominant colors were a deep red with gold trim as a tail, covered in smooth, scarlet colored scales, sat wrapped around her waist like a belt.

This was Aracely Herschel, the Mistress of the Void, a Sorceress of immense power, and Mathias' own ancestor. Aracely had been born over ten millennia ago during what their people consider the 'Golden Age of War' when their people as a whole were MUCH more powerful and skilled than they are now, an age where reaching the fourth and final standard transformed state was commonplace, not relegated to the highest echelons of the Imperial Defense Forces.

Aracely's power was shown in that she'd carried the titles of Court Sorceress and Mistress of the Void for the entirety of the Empire's existence, with no other being able to match her in the arcane arts. Aracely knew more about the secrets of the Arcane, both in the realms of the elements, and other arenas, even the unsavory dark and black magics were at her disposal, though she had swore on her life and honor to never use THOSE.

Aracely reached the steps and released her staff, the long hunk of curled, gnarled wood staying in place almost of it's own will, as Aracely placed her right fist into her left hand at neck height before bowing slightly at the waist.

"Your majesty." she began, her voice, a cool and composed sound, echoing with the power contained within.

"Dowager Empress Aracely. To what honor does my ancestor and a former Empress of the Empire grace me with today?" Mathias asked, his voice a moderately deep bass due to his height and mass.

Aracely merely gave a light giggle to her descendant's question before replying "The Grail War has returned."

"What?!" Mathias growled as his aura, an iridescent glow that surrounded his form, burst to life with an explosion of lightning and power in response to his immediate anger.

The Senshi standing in the room, caught by surprise, were FLOORED by the weight of Mathias' presence as he stood up, the arm rests of his throne exploding as his weight left the throne and he walked down the steps. The only senshi able to deal with the weight and keep their feet were Saturn and Ariel, Saturn being the Senshi of destruction while Ariel was Mathias' only surviving child from his first marriage.

When Mathias reached the bottom step and met his ancestor, it surprised the senshi to see the ancient woman stand firm, not even a bead of sweat staining her brow from the effort required to remain standing. "Mathias, my child. I would ask you to participate in the Heaven's feel."

"I see, you wish to keep civilian casualties to the absolute minimum while preventing the ningen from acquiring such a powerful artifact of the old ways." Mathias answered as his anger cooled off and his power returned to within his body.

"Of course, it would remise of me to turn my back on the ideals that my mother-in-law, Ariel the First, held so dearly to her heart."

Mathias gave a chuckle from deep in his barrel-like chest at that before saying "I understand, honored ancestor." he then pulled the left side of his robe away to reveal a glowing, stylized sword-like mark over his heart. Putting his robe back into place, Mathias gave a fanged grin when he heard the groans of disappointment from a few of the senshi. Those flirtatious women had been using him for visualizations during their 'private' time for centuries, much to his amusement, and thus he felt it right to tease them, to show them what they lusted after but were unable to have without violating their honor.

Aracely had a look on her face like that of a mother's pride for her son, which was exactly what Mathias was in a way, as Aracely's last borne daughter had married the heir of the Maestro Clan, the young man opting to marry into his wife's clan instead of having her marry into his. Mathias had been born Mathias Maestro, and was Aracely's direct descendant through the unbroken Maestro line.

Aracely's smile faded as she said "Yes, I see that the grail's magics have found their way even to our blessed empire. You have been chosen by the grail as a participant. Allow me to give you a catalyst, so that you might have a servant that is truly worthy of you." then she reached into her robes and pulled out a very familiar sheath to Mathias' eyes.

"Avalon." he breathed out in shock as the sheath of Excalibur, an item of the divine said to bestow immortality to combat damage, was revealed to the open light of the Throne Room. He had not seen this mystical artifact in 1300 years, not since a few weeks before the day that Arturia had rode off into battle for the last time, when she was mortally injured by her own offspring.

As Mathias gazed at Avalon in wonder, he felt a massive increase in mana, and looking at his ancestor he saw that she was exerting her power over the arcane, calling, and summoning. A giant magical circle exploded to life and thrummed and beat with power, those in the room could hear what sounded like a heartbeat as the magic powering the circle grew and the sounds quickened.

The magics powering the circle grew too great, lightning shooting from the center of the circle as it's glow and beat reached a crescendo alongside the raw magic blasting up like an inferno.

Mathias felt a life sign from the circle just as an explosion rang out, covering the room in dust and smoke. As the smoke began to clear and the dust settled on the floor, a slim figure could be discerned from within. The life sign within the circle made a tingle run down Mathias' spine as it's origin and feel registered to his senses. He knew this signature, he KNEW it!

"I am servant Saber. I ask of you. Are you my master?" came a feminine voice he hadn't heard in 1300 years.

[End Theme]


	2. Leading to War

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 1**

**Leading to War**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Wakusei Ariel, Imperial City**__**-**_

[Insert Theme: – ]

Green met Hazel as Mathias and Saber locked eyes with one another. The senshi were gobsmacked as Saber was revealed to them, the shock allowing Aracely to vanish by teleporting through her own shadow.

"I ask again. Are you my master?" Saber asked and Mathias nodded as he said "It has been a long time; Arturia."

"Wha ...? Mathias, what are you doing, where am I?" Arturia asked as she realized who had become her master for the war, it was then that she finally noticed the immense gravity pushing down on her.

"What is happening? Why is the gravity so heavy?"

"Welcome to the Arielian Empire, Arturia. You have been summoning into my throne room." he answered and she nodded before he continued. "You are on my homeworld, planet Ariel. The gravity here is ten times that of Earth's. Until you are able to get used to it the planet will mercilessly try to break you down."

"I see, and this is your throne room, in the Imperial City?" Arturia asked as Mathias guided her up the steps to his throne, where he sat down after restoring the destroyed arm rests with a quick burst of his own mana while Arturia took up residence on his right side.

"Yes. This is the Imperial City of the Arielian Empire. Generations of Warrior-kings and queens have been born and died within these walls, leaving a legacy for their children."

"You have quite a legacy to live up to, don't you?"

"Yes, but it is a legacy of my own making."

"Of course. Tell me, what happened after I died?"

"After you died I took vengeance upon Merlin and Morgan la Fey for their acts of treachery before leaving Camelot, never to return."

"They betrayed me, I understand. I failed as King."

"No, Arturia it was not you, Merlin was a source of darkness from the very beginning. Galahad and I both warned you numerous times about what Merlin was and could be planning, but the sorcerer had his magics working on you. Morgan la Fey used her own magics, thus leading to Mordred's birth and the subsequent events."

"I ... I still failed. I failed to overcome the hold they had over me, and my people paid the price."

Mathias gave her a light bop on the head before saying "Do not blame yourself, Arturia, Merlin and Morgan were evil from the beginning."

"What of the round table, what of it's Knights?"

"Lancelot blamed himself and was overcome in his rage for your refusal to see fit to punish him for what he did, the table broke apart into many factions without you or I there to try and keep them unified. Well, as unified as the table could have been in any event."

"I could never blame him for that. The fault was entirely my own" came her reply.

"I understand how you feel, Arturia, but there are times where we must do things we may not agree with in order to better our people, not on the side of morals, but in our personal choices, such as the capacity to forgive and forget, or to place blame, for example."

"You always were the wiser of the two of us, Lord Mathias." came Arturia's reply and Mathias gave her a grin as he said "I do have a lot more experience in the art of rule than you do, Arturia, but that is a given considering my situation."

"Yes. Can we be what we once were?" she asked him and he nodded. "Of course, I would be deeply grateful if we could be friends once more. You may just find that my people have missed you as much as I have."

"You told them about me?"

"Of course, as ruler of my people I keep them informed of what I am doing. They seem to have found a kindred spirit in you, Arturia."

"A kindred spirit?"

"Yes. When I informed them that I was currently in the lands of the King of Knights, they were intrigued, and rightly so as I was most intrigued in you and your people."

"What intrigued you about my people and I?"

"It was the idea that a human nation had stumbled upon the secret of the perfect kingdom, a secret that we Arielians have protected for ten thousand years."

"What is that secret, if I may ask?"

"A ruler is nothing without his or her people, when said at it's most basic. Another way to look at it is the term 'Mandate of Heaven'."

"Mandate of Heaven?"

"Yes. According to the Mandate, the Heavens grant emperors the right to rule based on their ability to govern well and fairly. A just ruler would be blessed by the Heavens and granted the Mandate, while a despot would have the Mandate taken away and given to someone who would rule best."

"So it's based entirely on how justly they rule."

"Yes. You stumbled across the Mandate during your reign over Camelot, and thus I tried to assist you in keeping it."

"Then Merlin and Morgan ruined it and made all of your attempts mean nothing." Arturia replied and Mathias growled, a deep sound in the base of his chest that caused Arturia to feel a heat in the pit of her stomach that rapidly moved south to between her thighs.

Reigning in the feeling the heat created, Arturia released the spell hiding Excalibur from sight, the sword appearing to be more ornamental than combat worthy, and said "Lord Mathias, might we have a spar? I have not had that pleasure in quite a long time."

Mathias looked over and smiled, reaching over and grabbing the sword sitting next to his throne. The sword was thickly bladed and resembled a curved saber from China, with nine-rings on the backside and an indention in the blade behind them to trap and/or break enemy swords.

When the senshi noticed that Mathias had picked up his ancestral blade, they quickly scattered to the far corners of the room, not wishing to be caught in the crossfire of two heavenly blades meeting in combat.

Reaching the center of the room, Mathias pulled the blade from it's sheath, revealing the crimson blade for all to see as well as the golden engravings of dragons running alongside it. Hanging from the end of the grip was a small bushel of fur that came from the mane of a dragon, said to be from the same dragon who's blood was shed in the forging of the blade. This was the Bloodoath Blade, ancestral weapon of the Emperor and first used in battle by Ariel the First herself;

Ten Thousand years ago.

Mathias and Arturia stood before each other, Mathias in a relaxed stance while Arturia had Excalibur held in a two hand grip.

"Prepare yourself, Lord Mathias, for I have improved greatly from those days long ago." Arturia commented and Mathias gave a grin, exposing the sharpened canine on the left side.

"I hope to see it, Arturia, perhaps this will be the day that our old rivalry will be settled."

"So you remember?"

"Of course. I used to spar with both you and the knights; Galahad was the closest a knight of the round could come to matching me in battle, have you reached his level?"

"We will find out today!" came Arturia's reply as she charged him head on.

To Mathias' eyes, Arturia was moving in slow motion. The intense gravity of Wakusei Ariel combined with his own age and experience made Mathias a swordsman, a warrior-king, of which very few could ever hope to match, much less survive against. Arturia was pumping raw magic through her muscles to enhance them and allow her to perform at a level that would be above superhuman on Earth.

When Arturia swung, he was already in motion, a sharp clash and before the watching senshi could tell what was happening, Excalibur was spinning into the air. When the blade sank into the floor, the senshi turned back to the match to see that Mathias had his blade to the side of Arturia's neck.

"It can not be. Lord Mathias, it is just like before, why is it impossible to best you?"

"It is not impossible, Arturia, but while you have been improving your skills by training in the Throne of Heroes, I too have been training to maintain and improve my own skills. I can be defeated in battle, but I refuse to entertain the idea whilst IN combat."

"I see. So I will have to try that much harder if I am to best you." Arturia said before she seemed to vanish, reappearing next to Excalibur as she lifted the blade from the floor.

As she retook the sword, her body was surrounded by a glow of pure mana as she powered up for her next attack.

Mathias, noticing what his old friend was planning began channeling his ki into the Bloodoath Blade, his aura and the ancient weapon glowing with an apparent iridescence.

To Arturia, who was powering up for her most powerful attack, Mathias appeared to be changing, his image flickering as his eyes seemed to transform into hazel colored flames and his clothes shifting from what he wore to something totally different.

They seemed to become an oddly-styled collar and wide pauldrons which turned into a cloak and two spaulders of dramatic emphasis. The latter of which seemed to be composed almost entirely of a strange metal that shined with a strange gleam that gave the impression that they were carved out of an alien material. His cloak started with a mane of reddish-orange fur, flowing around his shoulder guards and plunging down on all sides as a waterfall of spun ruby-like scales, ending in a "bushel" of fur around his booted ankles. His arm guards were crimson/gold and appeared to be sewn into his bodysuit, a single jewel set into each over the top of his wrists; glowing with eldritch potency. Similar reinforcement adorned his boots, and his bodysuit gleamed in such a way that it resembled metallic armour while actual armor adorned his torso and hips with a strange fiber-weave pattern.

Mathias seemed to be bursting from his mortal shell and transforming into an embodiment of pure power, an Elder God, before Arturia's very eyes. The senshi were awestruck and left in anticipation as the two energy sources reached a peak.

"EXCALIBUR!"

"Ryūgonken!"

A blast of pure mana flew from Excalibur's blade only to meet flames that were so hot that they burned WHITE. The flames clashed with the energy as more and more power was pushed through them, the clashing attacks pushed and pushed, one side giving up then surging forth to take over, and as the clash continued in this way, it became clear that Arturia was not to be the victor this day, as sweat poured down her face from the effort required to maintain the attack.

Arturia was SHOCKED! She never KNEW that Mathias had power like this, she was pushing with everything she had, straining mightily to try and beat his attack, but the roaring flames refused to submit and the very air in the room was becoming stifling hot, shimmering heat visible throughout the room.

Arturia was blown back when the two attacks explosively canceled each other out, slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the aragarite-reinforced stone before sliding down to land on her lithe bum as Excalibur slipped from suddenly numb fingers.

Mathias, however, was steadfast as the rush of heat and air blew into him, his hair and tail blown back in the wind as he stood there, an immovable object against the wind. When he could see Arturia's down form, he began to walk forward like a beast of ancient yore, his gait never slowing nor ceasing until he stood before Arturia as she weakly looked up at him.

Arturia had watched as Mathias approached, her vision swimming as everything was a blurry haze, the man, no, her master in the upcoming war, strode forward until he stood before her with mere feet between them. As her vision seemed to clear, she watched as his appearance switched between that of the Elder God and his normal self before settling on his normal visage as her vision cleared.

Mathias knelt down after sheathing the Bloodoath Blade on his left hip and picked her up, placing one arm under her knees while the other was under her shoulders, the tiny woman near weightless under his strength as he walked back to his throne and sat down.

Arturia had little choice but to rest her head against his massive chest, the sound of his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

As Arturia slept, a large number of men and woman wearing pants, long-sleeved shirts, flak vests, toeless sandals, and hitai-ate appeared in the room in bursts of smoke. The large group of men and women were a few of the soldiers of Draugr Corps, the shadow warriors of the Imperial Defense Forces. These Shinobi and Kunoichi were the sneakiest fighters in the whole force, also more willing to bend their personal honor codes for the sake of the mission.

As the group knelt in the presence of their Emperor, Mathias said "I have need of your skills, my kage, my shadow warriors. I require you to go to Earth and discover the identities of the opposing masters and servants for the upcoming grail war. I repeat, discover the identities of the opposing masters and servants for the upcoming war. Arturia and I will be following you in one month. Discover all you can before then. Dismissed." he finished and the group vanished once more. Arturia never noticed what went on aside from a quite little murmur from her lips.

Arturia awoke hours later. Looking around she noticed the exquisite feel of the sheets covering her and, looking under them, noticed that she now wore a sheer nightgown as the Arielian moon shown overhead. Nestling back into the sheets, she heard a soft 'yip' and looked towards the foot of the bed, where she found what looked like a fox waking up from her shifting weight.

When the fox woke up, she noticed that, unlike a regular reddish-orange fox with a black-tipped tail, this one had golden fur with white tips on it's nine, wait ... nine? Tails. Looking again, she counting the number of tails as they unfurled; one, two, four, six, eight, and nine. yes, this was a nine-tailed fox.

Looking at the strange animal as it uncurled and turned to face her, Arturia had to wonder how an animal this unique had come to be in the Imperial city, and as she watched, she heard a rapid series of fast-paced 'yips' that had a squeak to them, suggesting younger foxes. The bed was suddenly covered in Kitsune after the adult fox gave a call as an entire litter of kits jumped and climbed up onto the bed and swarmed the nine-tails laying there.

To Arturia's shock, each one of the gold-furred little kits had NINE tails!

The little kits rapidly burned themselves out and, to Arturia's surprise, curled themselves against her body, one even climbing on top of her and nestling it's furry little head between her breasts, and rapidly falling to sleep.

The gentle warmth and heat from the foxes quickly soothed Arturia back into peaceful slumber.


	3. Arrival

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 2**

**Arrival**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Wakusei Ariel, Imperial City**__**-**_

_**One Month Later**_

[Insert Theme: Heavenly – The World Will Be Better]

Arturia walked into the throne room of the Imperial City, the litter of kits nipping at her heels save for one, which was on her shoulders while resting it's head and front paws on top of her head.

Arturia had changed dramatically in the month leading up to this day. Gone was the silvery steel armor and blue dress; in their place she now wore a form-fitting black bodysuit that had golden colored fiber-weave armor on her shoulders, sides, the small of her back, and thighs along with integrated boots. This was worn underneath a fiber-weave cuirass that had cut-outs for the armor of her bodysuit, and strange devices on her forearms that had three pulsing blue stripes on each one and a small hole on the ends over her hands while both were very intricately and beautifully engraved.

Walking through the center of the room she noticed as the Senshi to a woman came to attention as she walked between them, the much taller statures of the thirteen beautiful women messing with Arturia's self-confidence.

Reaching Saturn, the dark haired woman nodded as she said "Lady Arturia, good morning to you."

"Good morning to you as well, Captain. How is Lord Mathias this morning?"

"He should be along momentarily, his dedication to his morning workout and training proves to everyone what standing steadfast can accomplish. How goes your own training, my lady?"

"Quite well, I've grown accustomed to Ariel's gravity and can now move normally without using prana bursts."

"That is great to hear, my lady, one day you will be able to do battle on par with us, the Ariel Teikoku's Imperial Senshi." Saturn's reply came and it settled Arturia's spirit and self-confidence issue.

Saturn could wipe out all life on a planet with a single attack, so if she had confidence that Arturia could one day match them, then Arturia had best do what she could to show Saturn that her confidence was not ill-placed.

As the two talked like old friends, the doors reopened and the kits around Arturia's feet ran in that direction as Mathias strode into the room, the scent of body wash and shampoo very subtly coming from his form as the Bloodoath Blade sat on his hip.

The kits rushed over to him and start yipping, prompting the massive mountain of a man to knell down and pet each of the little critters for a few moments each, the happy kits running back to Arturia as their parents came into the room.

[End Theme]

[Insert Theme: – ]

As Mathias walked over to Arturia, she felt the ground quake and, looking outside, was shocked to see what looked like a giant scorpion walking through the Imperial City, the massive creature's steps swift but sure as it moved along in an apparent patrol pattern.

"What, what in the name of God is THAT?!" came Arturia's surprisingly shocked cry, which woke up the kit sleeping on her head and shoulders.

"That is the Type-Fifty-One Massive Assault Platform; codenamed Imperator."

"Massive Assault Platform? That thing is a machine?" Arturia asked and Mathias shook his head.

"No, Imperators are a race of cybernetic kaiju that are classified as Überweapons for their extreme combative capability."

"So it's a synthetic life-form, grown only for the taking of lives? Something that unnatural would be condemned by the Almighty."

"The first Imperator was grown to be a shield against despotism, persecution, and the annihilation of innocent lives." Mathias said before he seemed to shimmer for a few seconds. When he stopped shimmering Arturia noticed he now had what looked like a housecat sized scorpion in his hands.

Walking over to her he placed the VERY colorful arachnid in her arms and said "This is an infant Imperator, no more than about six months old at the most. It's venom sacs are fully developed while it's plasma lancers are weak at best. It will take this little thing at least another six months before it can begin to truly fend for itself and begin hunting for food."

Looking at the sleeping infant Arturia couldn't condemn the geneticists any longer for creating this race of killing machines, especially after the fox kit on her shoulder knelt down and started pawing at the infant, only for it to instantly wake up and leap down to the floor, raising up and exposing tarantula like fangs as the kit followed it down.

The two species' offspring rough housing with each other brought content smiles to the faces of the Senshi as the kit leapt at the infant Imperator, only for it to either snap it's pincers or swing it's stinger forward in an attempt to get the kit where it hurt, right on the snout. Eventually the fox kit failed to jump back in time and the infant got a grip on it's snout with a pincer.

With a yelp the kitsune shook it's head while the Imperator held on like a pit bull, letting go to land on it's feet after roughly 30 seconds.

To everyone's amusement the infant Imperator began to move side to side before flexing its leg muscles up and down, occasionally stopping to pump it's pincers up and down while making a rapid series of clicks and other sounds. To finish off it's little victory dance it lowered one pincer while keeping the other raised, waving it back and forth at the kit while making a series of chirps, the kit responding with high-pitched yips.

Once it was all 'said' and done, the Infant Imperator turned it's back on the throne room and scuttled away, to return to it's nest.

"What, was that?" Arturia asked and the reply came not from Mathias, but his daughter; the brown-haired Sailor Ariel. "The Imperators and Kyubi no Kitsune have a rivalry. Sometimes a kit wins and other times an infant wins. It helps both with honing their combat instincts and allows for a friendly competition between two species that are normally supposed to be more hostile towards each other, Lady Arturia."

[End Theme]

[Insert Theme: Falconer – Emotional Skies]

"Ah, I see." Arturia replied just as she felt a shiver run down her spine and Aracely's voice came from directly behind her. "So you have met the Imperators, have you?" causing Arturia to startle for a few seconds and draw Excalibur.

The blade was now reforged and appearing MUCH more functional than it once did, with a thinner cross guard and a wider blade that became smaller as it gently flowed towards the tip, the haft twinkling with diamond sparks, myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth-work of subtlest jewellery. The sword met the magically enhanced wood of Aracely's staff and STOPPED, the ancient staff standing firm against the heavenly sword, much to Aracely's shock.

"That will not be necessary, Lady Arturia. Mathias, my child, it is time. The grail war will begin in 24 hours." Aracely said and Mathias nodded.

"I have a gift for the two of you, my child." Aracely said before suddenly blurring, moving so fast that Arturia was unable to see it as Aracely's left hand suddenly wrapped around her forehead and magic FLOODED her system as she began to glow.

When the glow subsided Aracely said "There you go, now you never need fear fading away once this war is over, lady Arturia."

"What?" came Arturia's confused reply just as her head lulled back, Mathias catching her before she could hit the floor and carrying her like he had one month before. This time, however, he did not move to sit on his throne, instead he walked out of the room, his destination the Starport as Aracely moved to and sat on the throne.

[End Theme]

Arturia awoke as Mathias reached the Starport, the fox kit who played with the infant Imperator laying on her armor-clad stomach snoozing it's life away, though it allowed her to see that it's snout was healed, as if it had never gotten pinched.

Walking into the Starport, Mathias showed his ID to the guard at the door, the man giving a quick salute and a call of "Your Highness." which was replied to with a smile and a clap on the guardsman's shoulder after Mathias set Arturia back on her own two feet, the kit returning to her shoulders.

Entering the building itself the two went through customs and procedure before boarding a shuttle that would take them to the Gregarious Drive Yards rings in orbit around the planet, Arturia looking into the sky and actually SEEING the two interconnected rings with her own eyes as they traveled from horizon to horizon just before boarding the shuttle.

Shortly after sitting down, Arturia noticed the other passengers looking at Mathias in pride and awe, his massive frame distinct while it gave his people courage to know that he was with them and didn't set himself on a pedestal above them. The women on the shuttle gave Arturia looks of jealousy for sitting beside the Emperor while fighting the urge to squeal about the adorable fox kit sitting on her shoulders just before it leapt down to her lap, where she began to scratch it behind the ears.

Arturia watched as the sky outside the shuttle transformed from the beautiful blue of the planet's atmosphere to the inky black with starry polka dots of space, the planet looking ever more beautiful to her eyes the more of it that was revealed to her eyes.

After staring in awe at the planet for a few minutes she turned her vision to the Gregarious Drive Yards platform, the two interconnecting rings resembling an atom when combined with the planet itself. The platform was a buzz of activity, starships entering and leaving with such a speed and productivity that it was scary, even the smallest warship she could see on the platform had to be half a kilometer long or more, then her eyes widened in immense shock as she beheld the fleet of warships in orbit over the planet, an immense warship that appeared to be a floating city at the center of it all ... did it just expand?

"I see you noticed the Ariel's Heart, the capital ship of the defense fleet protecting Wakusei Ariel."

"What kind of ship is that?!" Arturia asked with a level of shock in her tone that Mathias had never heard before.

"That is the lead ship of the Ariel's Heart-class great battleships, the most powerful warships in the entire Imperial Defense Force at sixteen point eight kilometers in length and carrying more weaponry than most planets." Mathias replied and Arturia turned white as a sheet.

"The expansion that I could have sworn that I saw?"

"The ships are either built or grown by the Gregarious Drive Yards company's shipwrights for the Empire, I do not know the specifics because it is a secret that only the Gregarians themselves know. Many people over the millennia have witnessed the expansion and contractions of the ships' hulls, as if the warships were alive, however." came his calmly delivered reply.

_**-**__**High Earth Orbit**__**-**_

A roiling green/white rift appeared high over the planet as Cherenkov radiation spiked to such an extreme height that the sensor stations on the Earth below, what few there were, shorted out or exploded outright, startling or scaring the technicians responsible for them.

Shortly after the rift appeared, a massive construct came through. Covered in lumps and bumps with an organic appearance, the Ariel's Heart-class great battleship made for a terrifying yet awe-inspiring sight as it settled into position over the planet, right below it was Japan, most notably, Fuyuki City.

Aboard the battleship, Arturia woke up to find herself laying next to Mathias, her command seals on display over his heart on his bare chest as she used one of his massive shoulders for a pillow, the kit sleeping on the covers curled into a ball close to the foot of the bed. Arturia had learned of the magical nature of the Kyubi no Kitsune as the nine tails the kit bore had coalesced into a single extra bushy tail when Mathias informed Arturia that people would respond with strange looks to see a nine-tailed fox, though the Japanese would come closer to worshiping the kit as a servant of Inari Okami.

After getting up and dressed, being uncomfortable wearing her suit and armor underneath a blouse and knee-length skirt, Arturia walked back into the room to see Mathias sitting up as his eyes and senses scanned his surroundings, a pulse of ki shooting from his form to act as a form of sonar/echolocation as every energy signature on the ship, even the ship itself, lit up on his ki sense and told him where everyone was located, what they were doing and what they looked like; oh ho ho ho, it looked like two of the enlisted decided to have a little 'extracurricular' activity, so Mathias stopped using his ki sonar so they could have their privacy.

_**-**__**Fuyuki City, Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel**__**-**_

Mathias and Arturia walked into the Hotel Lobby, checking with the receptionist on the available rooms, and signed in, Mathias writing Arturia's name as 'Audrey Maestro' instead of 'Saber', the clerk giving them their keys. When Arturia looked at him strangely he sent a telepathic message saying 'explain once we get settled in, too many ears here.' causing her to nod.

Reaching the elevator they found themselves joined by three people; one was a man with blond hair and green eyes who wore a stiff coat with ornamentation to show individualism, the second was a redheaded woman with light brown eyes and wore a shirt and blouse much like the one Arturia wore.

The third, a remarkably handsome and beautiful man with quirky long black hair combed back roughly, sent alarm bells up and down Mathias and Arturia's arms, this man had power in spades compared to the two he was with as he wore a dark teal outfit that brought to mind an english rocker in Mathias' mind.

Reaching the elevator first, Mathias called it down, and when it reached them he swept his right arm forward as if to put the elevator on display as he said "Ladies, the honor of going first, is yours." Arturia giving a very light giggle in response as she and the redhead got on, followed by the three men.

"Your floor?" Mathias asked and the teal wearing man replied "Thirty-two."

Mathias nodding as he replied "Us as well. I am Mathias Maestro, and this is my wife, Audrey."

"Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald." came the blond man's reply

"Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri" came the redhead's response, Mathias and Arturia blinking as Mathias replied "I ask that you forgive me for saying this. Your names are, quite a mouthful." receiving a chuckle from the 'Rocker' before he replied "Call me Aengus."

"Of course, Irish? Lovely countryside there." Mathias replied and 'Aengus' smiled in respect as he nodded as the elevator dinged to show it's arrival.

As the two groups walked on, they discovered that they were right across from each other and Mathias gave a grin as he said "It was great meeting the three of you, perhaps later you can come visit us for dinner." receiving smiles from Sola-Ui and Aengus.

Emperor Mathias I and Arturia Pendragon were now in Fuyuki City.


	4. First Day

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 3**

**First Day**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Fuyuki City, Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel**__**-**_

Once the door to their room shut, Arturia turned to look at Mathias only to watch in awe as he used a brush and a bottle of ink to very quickly inscribe symbols from the Ariel-jin alphabet onto the door frame, walls, floor, ceiling, and window frames. After a few minutes he finished and tapped what Arturia guessed was the central point of the massive diagrams, which covered the entire hotel suite, while saying "Fuin!" the entire room set aglow for a few seconds before it went away.

Once the glow dimmed, the seals themselves vanishing as if they were never there, Mathias turned to her and said "Now then, this suite is now impregnable to anyone or anything that would wish us harm. The sealing array I inscribed will detect any ill intent directed towards you or I, and should something attempt to enter the suite, the array will viciously attack and either repel or kill them. I included silencing and privacy seals into the arrays so that nothing we say can be heard outside and no one can use sensory techniques to see into the room."

"Incredible. Why do you call me Audrey on the hotel register and again to our neighbors?"

"We cannot use your real name or class around others, and in one plain of the Multiverse, you were born a man and had a twin sister who was named Audrey. The last I saw of her she was now a married mother living in North America, but has been chosen to be that world's wielder of Excalibur for her steadfast dedication to the ideals and morals of the faith."

"So you use the name of my alternate's twin so I can have an identity in public during the war." Arturia replied and Mathias nodded, just as a flash of smoke appeared next to him.

While Arturia was readying for battle, Mathias stood calm and said "Report" as the smoke cleared, revealing one of the shinobi that had been sent ahead of them.

"Your Highness." the shinobi said before producing a scroll from one of the pockets of his vest.

"The other six masters and servants have already been assigned and summoned." the shinobi began as Mathias opened the scroll and pulsed ki through the fuin on the paper, a bingo book appearing as Mathias grabbed it from the air.

"Arturia, as you and I know, there are seven masters for seven servants, one of each class. Three of which come from the founding families; Tōsaka, Matō, and Einzbern. The Magus Association sends one representative, and the other three are chosen by the grail. From what the group of Draugr Corps shinobi and kunoichi I sent here one month ago have discovered, this line up should prove to be quite an interesting challenge to tackle." Mathias said as he cracked the little book open.

"These are the masters chosen for this war; Tōsaka Tokiomi who heads the Tōsaka Clan. From the Einzbern they have become so desperate to win that they have contracted a mercenary; Emiya Kiritsugu. The Magus association ..." and here Mathias gave a chuckle of what sounded like malicious intent "... Sent our next door neighbor, El-Melloi, who is more concerned with the glory of the war than the prize. El-Melloi's student, Waver Velvet, stole the catalyst El-Melloi had planned to use for the war and has become a competitor himself. Next we have an agent from a surprising source, the Burial Agency, in the form of Kotomine Kirei. Matō Kariya is the master from the Matō Clan, but his actions are so erratic that it is actually confounding my shinobi."

"I see, how would you rate their level of danger?" Arturia asked.

"El-Melloi is substandard at best and I can remove him from play without truly lifting a finger, Velvet is young, naive, and inexperienced, an easy target. Tōsaka is too set in his ways and that makes him predictable despite his skill. What it truly boils down to is; Kotomine and Emiya. Emiya is the greater threat between the two and the second most powerful master in the war."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Emiya's threat level deals with his reputation; as a magi killer."

"Magi killer?"

"Yes. Kiritsugu is the last scion of the Emiya, free-lance assassin, and is known for hunting down dead apostles and sealing designates. He is known for doing anything to complete the mission, even killing the innocent or those even vaguely related to his target if it will allow him to complete the mission. I doubt that there is even one cowardly tactic that he has not used in his career, irregardless of innocents caught in the crossfire."

The two sat in silence for a few moments.

"Kiritsugu is the second most dangerous master. Backed by the Einzbern, he can procure a catalyst that can summon a servant that is truly exceptional in nature. An assassin by trade and skilled in his craft, he is not bound by the rules and regulations that govern human magi, nor does he possess the mindset of one."

"I ... See." Arturia replied. "Will he be a threat to us?"

Mathias gave her a confident smirk that let the enlarged canine on the left side show. "Of course not, especially in honorable and fair combat, and he will not fight fair." Mathias' grin turned cocky "I am not your standard magi either. I am an old soldier, a warrior-king by upbringing, I have bore witness to and fought in countless wars and on innumerable battlefields over these six thousand years, and I control an empire that practically rules the multiverse. No mere ningen magi will be a threat to us."

Arturia nodded. "Of course. Masters, ordinary humans, are unable to fight servants head on." she stated with confidence in her otherwise flat tone. "If I may say, Lord Mathias, you are NOT human, by any definition."

"Of course, Arturia. We will win this war. That is our pact, our promise to one another. The masters are no true issue, but the Servants, they will prove to be the true challenge. While I do have the information on the servants, let us keep that unknown to us. make the discovery interesting, no?"

"I see, Lord Mathias. You seek to challenge yourself by battling the opposing Servants head-on."

"Quite. What say you, milady, to messing with El-Melloi's head tonight?" Mathias asked and Arturia seemed to take on part of his mood as she too gave a smirk.

A loud explosion filled the air as a white-masked assassin was impaled by a spear and a sword.

Saber seemed to blanch. "That's Archer?"

Mathias merely nodded his approval. "He is quite powerful." The pair were currently standing underneath a tree and observing the Tosaka Mansion. Apparently, Assassin and it's master had tried to infiltrate the mansion, most likely to kill the master of Archer, Tokiomi. The fool had 'stealthily' made his way to the jewel maintaining the defenses, when the other servant made his presence known.

Archer was a tall and dignified young man with golden blond hair that stood up like a flame of gold. The young man was handsome, with an elegant face. His eyes, the crimson red of blood, were visibly not the eyes of a human and they gave off a mysterious radiance that could make people wither. His body seemed to emanate majesty much like Mathias' massive frame did, but a "perfect, Golden-proportioned body". To compound and top this image, Archer was garbed in golden armor, a full suit of it, which would make a very heavy first impression.

"Those were... Noble Phantasms." Arturia muttered, clearly perturbed by the Archer's easy disposal of Assassin. "Is that really an Archer class?"

"It would seem that Tokiomi has summoned a very powerful servant indeed, if he possesses numerous Noble Phantasms. His states are Golden Rule rank A, Divinity rank B, Charisma A+, and independent Action rank A. Quite the monster of a servant."

It was then that the golden servant made his discontent known.

"Oi, mongrels! Reveal yourselves, lest you suffer the King's wrath!"

Mathias shared a look with Arturia before he, and she, walked out from the shadow of the tree.

"Explain yourselves! What gave you the right to stare at the rightful King?"

Before Arturia could offer anything in rebuttal Mathias gave a growl, that deep sound from far inside his chest warming the area between her thighs once more, before he said "I do not see a king before me, I see a petulant brat that was spoiled when his parents spared his behind from feeling the rod when he misbehaved. Do not presume that your pride and arrogance are enough to give orders to ME."

"You mongrel! you WILL bow before the King of Heroes, peasant. Bow or die, your choice!" Archer snapped and Mathias responded by slowly unsheathing the Bloodoath Blade from it's place on his hip, the sound of the rings on the backside was an ominous sign of the battle to come as white flames erupted along the red blade.

"I am Mathias the First, Ruler of Ariel and leader of her peoples. Now, Archer, release your weapons so that I can show you the unrelenting and unmatched power of ten millennia of Arielian history." Mathias said.

Archer was so enraged that he was now frothing at the mouth, and so fired the swords floating around him at the mammoth of a man in front of him. The ringing of steel on steel resounded and, much to Archer's shock, the swords he fired at Mathias were now pools of melted slag on the ground.

Mathias gave a confident smirk as he said "Is that all you can do? Fire off hordes of weapons without care? Such a brutish way to do battle, Archer, you shame your class, those who have fought under it in the past, and your family with such barbarism." before seemingly vanishing, reappearing in Archer's face a split second later with the Bloodoath blade already in mid-swing.

Archer was forced to materialize a sword and attempt to block the swing, the sword shattering on impact and Archer sent spinning from a vicious backhand smack to the cheek as Mathias' withdrew his sword arm.

As Archer made to return to his feet he saw Mathias spit to the side and said "Not even worth my time. face me again once you have returned to the Heroic spirit you once were, not the spoiled and petulant child that you are now."

When Archer charged him in a rage, Mathias sheathed the Bloodoath Blade and blasted the blond-haired brat in the face with a ki blast, the force of the hit knocking Archer out cold.

As soon as the golden clad blond was out, Mathias roared "TOKIOMI! Get your cowardly hind end out here and fetch your servant!" he then turned to Arturia and said "Audrey, let us leave this place. Battles such as this are unbecoming of a true warrior." before he began to walk off, his tail waving behind him as it twitched to show his frustration.

After returning to their hotel suite, the two cleaned up and Mathias invited El-Melloi, his fiancee, and the 'rocker' that Mathias guessed was Lancer, over for dinner that evening. When Mathias returned to his and Arturia's suite, he quickly got to work cooking for their guests, thankful for the expansion seals that made the suite more like a full-size house than a one-bedroom hotel suite as it enabled him to fit a larger kitchen with a walk-in freezer and cooler for more food storage and preparation.

When their neighbors showed up that evening, Mathias already had most of the spread ready and was on the final touches and platters as Arturia welcomed them in.

"Miss." Aengus commented as he passed her, Arturia shaking off the effects of some kind of charming spell that tried to take hold of her.

Aengus noticed her action and gave a smile in respect that she could do that, greatly pleased that he wouldn't be getting between the husband and wife duo like he did to his liege in life. Unbeknownst to Aengus, however, Mathias' natural telepathy overheard his emotions and thoughts, giving Mathias a vital clue as to Aengus' true identity.

When the trio had arrived, they found the suite to be identical to their own, not knowing that Mathias had remote deactivated the expansion and addition portions of the seals protecting the suite.

Sitting at the table after Mathias called them, they were surprised and shocked at the spread, while Aengus grinned his thanks when he saw the traditionally Irish dishes amongst the platters. As they settled in, a high-pitched 'yip' sounded out and the kit came into the room, drawn by the smell of food. Looking down at the kit Sola-Ui had a certain twinkle in her eye while Aengus said "A fox kit?"

"Yes, my clan raises them." Mathias answered and Arturia picked the little kit up, revealing it's golden fur to the three new people.

"I have never seen a fox that color before." Aengus remarked and Mathias grinned as he said "My clan were entrusted with Golden-furred foxes by Inari Okami herself nearly 10,000 years ago, and we have been raising them since."

The three looked at the cute little fox in surprise then as it yipped happily from having it's ears scratched and being pet on.

"Have you encountered any nine-tailed foxes? Inari Okami is known in legend for using them as messengers." Sola-Ui asked, only to reveal a shock when that extra bushy tail suddenly shrunk and split, into nine tails.

"The fox is out of the bag, I suppose." Mathias said before continuing. "My clan raises Nine-tailed foxes, all of them golden-furred, thus being classified as Zenko, or 'Good Foxes,' the foxes we raise either remain at our compound or go on to serve Inari Okami-sama."

"Your clan would have immense influence in the magi community if this ever got out." Kayneth commented and Mathias shook his head, that mane of wild, unkempt hair swaying from the movement.

"My people as a whole are magical in nature, my ancestor is the most powerful sorceress my people ever produced."

"I see." came the reply.

"That is not why we are here, though. Let us eat before it all gets cold." Mathias said and they dug in after the kit was set back on the floor and given a bowl of it's own food.

As they ate compliments were passed around and Mathias took them with a confident yet humble air, surprising his neighbors that he could cook.

"I had to learn to take care of myself during my commissioned service, it is only a natural thing for me to learn how to cook and cook a wide variety of meals." was his response to the praise.

After everyone was finished eating, Mathias took to washing the dishes while the others sat down in the living room in order to let the food settle, also so Sola-Ui could pet and dote on the kit, the little kyubi yipping happily as one leg kicked out rapidly and it's tails swayed from it's spot on it's back.

Arturia was thankful that it was on the floor in the center of the room, those tails were smacking into her and Sola-Ui's knees with quite a bit of force.

"Where could I get a kitsune like this?" Sola-Ui eventually asked and Arturia replied "They come from Mathias' clan compound, I usually have the litter this one came from as well as their mother with me when I sleep.

Sola-Ui then leaned in and whispered "Wouldn't that make it awkward when you and Mathias are trying to be intimate?"

"Foxes are curious yet instinctive animals, so they leave the room when our pheromones get too high." came the whispered reply.


	5. First Night Part I

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 4**

**First Night Part I**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Fuyuki City, Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel**__**-**_

Once El-Melloi and his group were gone, Sola-Ui asking Mathias if she could have a Kyūbi no kitsune someday before she left, Arturia rounded on Mathias and asked "Why did you do that? They are the enemy in this war."

"Yes, and they have no clue that we are the opposition, the team to beat. Subterfuge like this, it allows us to gather information on our enemies without them knowing, it also takes part of the pressure off of the Shinobi to try and find everything." came Mathias' answer, which soothes Arturia's nerves by giving her inner monarch food for thought as Mathias reactivated the dormant sections of the security fuin.

Later that night, Mathias came out of his training to find Arturia talking with one of the kunoichi, one that Mathias recognized instantly due to her hip-length dark scarlet red hair that was partially wild and unkempt, a lone dark brown eye peaking out from behind her bangs while the other was hidden behind the tsuba of a katana fashioned into an eye patch, and reddish-orange eye shadow.

Her skin was a light tan color while she wore a tight-fitting, high-collared, and sleeveless scarlet shirt that had golden trim and had a large window in the center with mesh covering the center of her chest and stomach down to her belly button. Over this shirt she wore a close-fitting sleeveless short kimono with a matching coat over that, a golden obi sash keeping them closed. Over her forearms and the backs of her hands was a pair of bracers, revealing that her upper arms and forearms were covered in scarlet scales.

She wore a pair of loose-fitting trousers that had double ties at her waist and knees, cut-outs on the inside of her thighs showed that she wore mesh pants over her thighs, her trousers tucked into knee-high split-toe boots that had an inner layer that went to mid-thigh.

The kunoichi's attire did little to hide her statuesque figure, instead it seemed made to accentuate it; long, toned legs, wide hips with a small, firm, and shapely rear that fit her 5'7" height perfectly and tapered to a lithe waist, before moving across a tight, toned stomach and onto a bust that fit her just as perfectly as everything else about her body did. In all she was too beautiful to be human, as the smooth scarlet scales covering her arms, legs, and the tail she had wrapped around her waist attested.

"Ancestor." Mathias began and the woman looked his way, her smile was predatory as sharpened canines revealed themselves.

"Mathias, my child, have you forgotten all that I taught you of Ninjutsu? I was under a henge and amongst the regular shinobi that you sent here." she commented and Mathias had the decency to blush his embarrassment from not detecting her presence before.

"It is quite alright, no one can detect my presence when I put some effort into it. I am the Megami no Kage, after all." she eventually commented, showing the level of pride she held for her abilities as she crossed her arms just under her breasts. The move accentuated the orbs and caused Arturia no end in a lack of self-confidence at the relatively small size of her own chest.

After a few moments silence Kage said "One of the other masters has made a move, El-Melloi seems intent to draw the other masters out, and both masters seem headed for a showdown at the docks. Unless I am incorrect, this will be the time to see what each servant can do; as I suspect that you will encounter Tokiomi's Archer again, alongside Lancer, Rider, Berserker, and what seems to be an Avenger class servant."

"Counting us that makes Six of the Seven Servants in this war." Arturia replied and Kage smacked her on top of the head. "Eight, you mathematically challenged twit, there are EIGHT Servants in this particular war because Assassin was not truly destroyed by Archer earlier today and Avenger is NOT a class that can normally appear."

When Arturia made to unsheathe Excalibur for the comment, Kage seemed to flicker, and Arturia found a curved dagger at her throat and another with the tip gently pressing into her back, right at the sweet spot that would kill her instantly should the dagger stab into her flesh. Looking to Mathias she saw him shake his head no and she relaxed, removing her hand from Excalibur's haft, and Kage removed the daggers from Arturia's person before sheathing them behind her back once more.

"That is better, Lady Arturia, we will make a true warrior out of you yet." Kage commented before she seemed to fade into a shadow in the room. The Kyūbi kit pawed and sniffed that particular shadow before giving a whine, unable to find the woman it was sure had been there.

As Arturia stood there glaring at the shadow, she almost swore she could hear Kage laughing at her expense from being unable to locate the shadowy woman.

"Who was that?" Arturia finally said when she turned to Mathias.

"That is Empress Dowager Kage, who married into the Imperial Clan when she was wed to Boaz Shapiro ten millennia ago. She is the commander of Draugr Corps and renowned and feared as the deadliest practitioner of the shinobi arts, leading to her title as the Goddess of Shadow." came Mathias' answer. "Also ..."

"Also?"

"No one has seen what lies beneath her eyepatch. It is rumored that underneath the patch her eye has mutated, becoming something more, and capable of feats no normal eye can achieve."

"Incredible, and no one has seen the eye when exposed?"

"No one who has seen the eye has lived to tell the tale. This has led to rumors that she can kill with no more than a glance when using it." came the reply.

"I fear what would happen if she ever turned against the Teikoku." Arturia finally said.

"As do I, milady, as do I." Mathias told her.

Later, Mathias and Arturia moved towards the docks, acting on the information Kage gave them. Arturia had removed the shirt and skirt, exposing her armor once more while her hair was now back in it's bun/braid. Mathias had forgone the idea of changing clothes and wore his standard fair. Their progress paused when they heard the ring of metal against metal.

"A battle is taking place, servant on servant if this ki I am feeling is correct. Shall we observe?"

"Of course, it would be dishonorable to intrude upon a duel between servants."

"Agreed, this will be an opportunity for us to gather further information. The bridge will serve our purpose quite well, and it would seem that someone else has had that same idea."

On Fuyuki bridge was a large man and a smaller one, with a chariot being pulled by two large bulls, strangely.

The larger man was dressed in a red cloak and bronze armor with greaves and fringes that left his arms and thighs open. However, the armor and cape were decorated in such extravagance that only a member of royalty or the nobility would wear it. It could also be noted that he was extremely muscled as well, much like Mathias, giving the impression of being able to kill wild animals with his bare hands.

The other man, not much more than a mere boy, was pretty much the opposite. Greenish-black hair that reached the shoulders and matching eyes, with a slight frame clothed in formal clothes befitting a magi. He looked like a small child compared to Mathias or his companion.

"Master and Servant, I presume" Mathias commented.

"Should we eliminate them?"

"No, leave them be for the moment." He paused when the larger man looked over to his location and began cheerfully waving. "Well, it would be rude not to accept an invitation this heartfelt. Shall we?" he finished.

Both warrior-kings walked over to the still-grinning mammoth of a man and his trembling companion.

"Greetings! Here to watch the fight?"

"Of course, Rider." Mathias replied calmly before introducing himself. "I am Mathias the First, ruler of Ariel and Leader of her peoples. My wife, Audrey."

"Rider grinned before saying "I am the Servant summoned under the class of Rider in this Holy Grail War! Alexander, the King of Conquerors!"

The petite boy blanched. "Oi, dumb-ass, don't tell them that!" he yelled as he waved his arms comically, clearly appalled by Alexander's lack of subtly.

The only thing that he received for his efforts was a flick to the forehead, which sent him sprawling across the bridge.

"Men like you ... How fortunate! I can sense great strength in both of you! Care to join my army!"

"I must decline. Swearing myself to you would be subverting my honor. I have my pride as King and then Empress Consort to consider."

Mathias nodded "I agree with Milady on this. I have to take into consideration her desires as well as my own. Also, I have been ruling my people for far too long to do well under the rule of another."

"Such a shame, such a shame." Alexander sighed.

"We would not object to an alliance, however."

"That's the thing, though, isn't it. There can be only one victor. One king con conquer the world, not two." the muscular servant sighed dejectedly again. "How sad."

"If that is to be, then so be it." Mathias said. "It is a pity. You are clearly a heroic spirit with little compare. My wife and I would be more than a match for you if you seek a challenge for your skills, however."

Alexander snorted. "That little woman?"

Arturia was about to retort, when Mathias cut her off.

"You would do well not to underestimate her for her size. She is a noble and great leader of men, whose legend is sung worldwide. She has fought the dark forces, the evils, and is the champion of an eternal dream."

Arturia seemed to blush a light pink at the praise. "You praise me too much." she finally said.

"I aim to please, dear."

"So, a challenge then. You are here to observe, are you not."

"Indeed. Let us see then, what kind of opponents the Grail War has to offer."

The two dueling figures had just finished another clash, metal grinding against metal, armour against lance, sword against lance, and had just separated. Arturia and Mathias instantly recognized one of the two combatants.

It was Aengus, bearing dual spears wrapped in cloth, one crimson red and one golden-yellow.

Mathias sniffed the air. "That smell, Mystic Face? I have not had that scent in my nose in quite a long time. That compelling face that attracts people ... That is not natural." Mathias began. "If not for Audrey's high resistance to magic she would most likely succumb as well."

"Mmm... Interesting, interesting. He is alone though. Where is his master?"

"El-Melloi is in hiding, obviously, he reeks of cowardice."

"My, my... That's too bad."

It was when Mathias and Arturia turned their attention to the other figure that their expressions changed. Arturia took a step back in surprise while Mathias' face was warped in rage and his aura burst to life around him in a corona of color.

"Is that?" Arturia whispered out, surprise easily visible on her face.

"That is..."

The other figure was dressed in thick armour that covered it's entire frame, silver and ornate, with red cloth mixed with said armour. It was holding an ornate decorated blade, the weapon of a knight. However..."

"That is blood i am smelling. Iron from blood." Mathias' eyes narrowed as he released the Bloodoath Blade from it's sheath, the blade erupting into white flames once more in response to his emotions. "That armour. Milady, that is..."

"Yes, it's that person, no doubt." Arturia sighed and placed a hand over her eyes. "Such misfortune."

"My Friend. Who is that servant?"

Arturia replied "Before we tell you, Alexander, I have a confession to make. My name isn't Audrey, I have not married Mathias, and my class, is Saber."

"You are a servant in this war?"

"Yes, and that servant is Mordred. Son of King Arthur, and my killer."

Alexander wasn't a stupid man. Brash, of course. Confident and with the arrogance that could only belong to a King, yes. But he was not so stupid as to not be able to make such an obvious connection.

"I see. To think that the King of Knights would be such a small girl."

"You would do well not to underestimate me! Understand that just because I am a woman, it doesn't mean that I won't spill your blood on my blade, Rider!"

The large servant sighed and cleaned his ear with his finger. "You should act more like your master. He seems like a pretty respectable guy."

"It has began." Mathias said, interrupting their squabbling and causing them to fall silent. "Lancer is going to unleash it."

"You mean?"

"Yes. He is readying his Noble Phantasm."

"I must commend you." Lancer muttered carefully. "To be able to parry all of my attacks like you have been doing shows that you possess great skill."

"Enough fool. Keep talking then, so that i may cut you down with my blade." Avenger sneered, condescension and malice clearly present in it's voice.

Another voice quickly blared out, loud and commanding, seemingly from nowhere. "Lancer, that is enough. You have had your fun, now end this battle quickly. You may use your Noble Phantasm."

The Knight of the Lance nodded. "Understood, my lord!" the wrappings around his spears vanishing. "I will be going for the kill now. Will you not tell me your class name, at the very least?"

The helmeted red knight laughed, a shrill and grating noise that sounded similar to someone dying. "Very well then, I shall honor that request. My class is... Avenger."

This caused everyone in the surrounding area to flinch slightly.

"Avenger...?" Lancer muttered in surprise.


	6. First Night Part II

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 5**

**First Night Part II**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

_**-**__**Fuyuki City, Docks**__**-**_

"Who would have known? I had thought you a Saber, or possibly a Rider, but Avenger?" Lancer finished.

"Lancer, finish it off!" the voice commanded.

"Of course, my lord. I shall be going for the throat now, Avenger." he tilted his head to the side. "That helmet conceals your identity, does it not? Meaning that if i were to catch a glimpse of your face... I would be able to discern your identity."

Avenger snorted. "I sincerely doubt it, but you are welcome to try regardless."

The teal knight sighed and began walking away from his other spear. "Very well then." he struck out with his red spear, but found it blocked by Avenger's sword. "Tch... Very well then... You only have one sword, Avenger!" he then proceeded to try and impale Avenger with his golden spear. Tried to, being the operative phrase, as at the last second, Avenger moved to the side, causing a horrendous screeching of metal on metal to emit from where the spear scraped along it's armoured flank.

"Good reflexes." Lancer noted with grudging approval. "That armour... Tricky, tricky."

"Stay still, and let me kill you!" Avenger growled, both hands on it's sword.

"Is that part of your Noble Phantasm, then?" he switched hands and struck again, only to be parried by Avenger. "Tch"

Back and forth, forwards and backwards, the two knights fought, gaining advantages and swiftly losing them thereafter, Lancer had the advantage in that he possessed a pair of weapons instead of just one, and he was noticeably quicker than Avenger. Avenger, however, was just a little slower and had the advantage of brute strength and it's armour that continued to deflect glancing blows from both lances. Eventually, it happened. Avenger tried blocking a stab to the chest from the golden spear with it's right arm, only to mistime the stab and end up with the spear through said limb.

"Hngh!"

"Avenger!" Irisviel cried out in alarm. She'd been standing nearby and observing the battle for quite some time now.

"Woman. Heal me."

"I'm trying... I have! Your wound should be healed! It is healed!"

Mathias sighed. "It has begun."

Waver looked at the man-mountain of a master oddly. "What has?"

"Lancer's final attack." Arturia nodded. "He is incredibly skilled. With the wound that Avenger has suffered, the battle will be over shortly."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Iskandar, the big servant, grunted in disapproval and slammed his foot against the ground, causing his master to 'eep' and bow his head.

"No... For all it is worth Avenger being defeated on the first night is not the best because all of the other servants have not been revealed yet. Alexander and i were hoping to see the others appear before us." Rider nodded at Mathias' words in agreement with him.

"Correct and if Avenger falls... It'll be too late." Waver raised his head.

"T-Too late?" he questioned his servant's choice of words. "The plan was to attack once they'd knocked each other out." Alexander stated, explaining his strategy for their attack on the Servants.

Arturia blinked. "Is that not cowardly, then?"

"Do not judge me, King of Knights. I had hoped that more servants would have answered Lancer's challenge, seeing as it would be easier to fight them together rather than in a one on one confrontation."

This caused Arturia's expression to register as quite annoyed.

"Some of us happen to specialize in one on one confrontations, Rider."

"I mean no disrespect, but unlike those who simply watch and wait for the best time to strike from the shadows, Avenger and Lancer are both valiant warriors whom i would dearly love to duel. Even you two given the chance if my presumptions are right. None of you should die before i have a chance to battle you."

"But isn't that the point of the battle? The Grail's war is to kill one another!" Waver's shouting was met by his servant flicking his head and sending him spinning.

Mathias looked at the little brat with a growl, causing Arturia to have to fight that warmth again, which she'd learned from Sailor Ariel was arousal, it was turning Arturia on every time Mathias growled, a deep sound that could only come from deep with the chest of a Dragon, or a Dragon-like man.

"It is clear that Alexander requires a proper battle to decide this war. Like his history, he wants to conquer this war with no questions over his own ability afterwards." Mathias noted."Yes. What I truly seek is to have truly conquered this war with all of my strength." he drew out his sword and swiped at the sky, which opened in a torrent of lightning that channeled through the bridge. His great chariot returned to the world through the tear in the sky as Waver held on for dear life. "We wait no longer. We shall participate, boy!" he paused. "King of Knights, would you and your master wish to ride with us?"

"I have my own methods of arrival, Rider." Arturia replied easily. "Though I thank you for your courtesy."

"Oi, oi..." the youngest in the little group was essentially having a panic attack. "Isn't this dangerous?"

"If you are too afraid, you can always stay behind." Alexander sniffed. "Are you scared, then?" Hearing that Waver's mind was made up.

"I'll go. Take me, damn it!" he shouted as if his life depended on it. The Servant's smirk grew hearing waver as he pulled him onto the chariot."Yosh... That is my master!" he proclaimed as he took off into the sky with great speed, leaving behind an annoyed King and a bemused Emperor.

"What an interesting pair."

Arturia sighed. "Maybe... I do not believe that they will last long against our blades, however."

Mathias considered her statement, before nodding. "Of course, no one can match us when we work together."

Avenger stared at it's wound in slight annoyance. "A spear that inflicts wounds that do not heal... Another spear and a mole under your eye. I suppose i should feel honored then, to be facing you, First of the Knights of Fianna, Diarmuid of the Radiant Face."

"It would be better, if you were to give me your name now that you know mine."

The bloody knight laughed again. "you will know my name in time, for now that I know this, I will be able to cut you down with impunity."

"You say this when you have lost the use of one arm."

Avenger radiated an air of smugness and promised violence and retribution, even if it's face was not visible. "I have suffered worse, it is of no consequence."

However, before they could re-engage, a clap of thunder sounded across the landscape, and a large chariot dropped between them with a rather tall muscular man at the helm.

Irisviel was dumbstruck. "A chariot...?"

The chariot was surrounded by lightning, drawn by two bulls, and at it's helm was a muscular man. It was positioned between Lancer's spears and Avenger's sword.

"Both of you! Lay down your arms, for a true king comes!"

The Servant surveyed Lancer and Avenger, noted their surprise and shocked body languages and nodded affirmatively.

"I am Alexander! King of Conquerors! I have received the designation of Rider in this Holy Grail War!"

That was when everyone really became gob-smacked. In the War of the holy grail no Servant would want to declare his identity as it could be a key component of any and all future battle plans.

On the bridge, Arturia was speechless at this servant's audacity and, in her opinion, foolishness. Mathias grinned.

"I like this warrior. I do not know why, but i do."

"What a fool... To reveal his name so easily...?" Arturia muttered. Yes, she had also revealed her identity, but that was only because Avenger had appeared and it was unintentional...

"You cannot say that you hate Alexander, can you?" Mathias whispered, his breath on her ear causing more problems.

"...I will not say anything on the matter." she replied after calming herself down. Unfortunately, though, the light pink but slight blush from her dampened arousal was still present.

"You revealed your identity as well, though i will admit that there were extenuating circumstances that neither of us foresaw."

"Ah... Yes. Let's watch then."

What are you doing, you dumbass!" Waver cried out, earning yet another flick to the forehead.

"Seeing your battle... Fate has brought us together to fight for the Grail, but first, there is something I must ask... How about... Yielding the grail to me and joining my army?" Alexander said with a smile. "I will treat you both as my friends, and we shall share in the joy of world conquest together!"

Lancer blinked, then glared at the burly servant. "You dare interrupt my battle for something as asinine as that? My loyalty lies with my lord. Not with you, Rider!"

Avenger grunted, seemingly annoyed. "What a clown. I have no interest in your petty dreams of world conquest."

Alexander sighed. "Ah, negotiations have failed once again."

Irisviel blinked in amazement. "Negotiation? You came in and essentially demanded that they swear loyalty to you!"

"Exactly. It was planning."

A brief pause.

"THAT'S NOT PLANNING!" Lancer, Avenger, Irisviel, and Waver yelled at him.

"Yes it is."

The same voice that ordered Lancer spoke up. "So you are the one that stole my catalyst, Waver Velvet."

Irisviel widened her eyes. "That is..."

"I'm amazed, Waver Velvet. To think that you had the audacity to steal my holy relic... And have the boldness to join the Heaven's feel." the concealed voice of Lancer's master spoke.

"Ah...Uh..."

"I actually wanted my poor beloved student to be happy. Waver, someone as mediocre as you only deserves to possess the calm and stable life of commoners. Therefore, it falls to me, as your teacher, to school you privately." the silky oily voice called out. "I'll have to teach you about the pain and fear that is involved in this most sacred of rituals."

Waver, was terrified. There were no other words around that, he was scared, scared to death of his former teacher, Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi.

Until Rider spoke.

"So... You were the one that was supposed to be my master?" Alexander rumbled. "How distasteful, you could never be my master. Only one who has the bravery to ride out with me onto the battlefield has that right. Not one who would be so cowardly as to skulk in the shadows."

Silence, only the anger of an arrogant noble could be felt in the black, seething with absolute rage at the impudence of Alexander. "You dare! Are all Servants this impudent towards their betters?"

The red-clad servant ignored him. "On that note... Oi! All of you that are hiding yourselves! Show yourself immediately! Or are you too cowardly to do so? I, Alexander, the King of Conquerors, would have you show your faces!"

"Rider." Lancer said seriously. "Who on Earth are you talking to?"

"You didn't think that your entire battle went unnoticed, did you? I know that Saber and her master are watching the battle right now, to say nothing of the other servant observing this gathering!"

And with that statement, golden dust coalesced on top of a lamppost, forming into that Golden King that had caused such an uproar on the first day of the war.

Waver was stunned. "Isn't that..."

"That's the servant that killed Assassin on the first day of the war..." Irisviel finished. Everyone on the docks stared at the golden armoured figure, who was the epitome of 'King.'

This could not be a Caster. So, by process of elimination, seeing as Saber was not the one being referred to by Alexander, and he was clearly not under Mad Enhancement..."

"Archer?" Waver murmured softly. The last of those three knight classes... Archer. The servant of the bow.

The golden servant sneered. "I did not expect a fool to appear before me and call themselves king, when there is clearly only one king: me."

"If you're truly a king then why not name yourself? No true king should be troubled by giving his name." Alexander asked of the man standing atop the post.

"So you would question me, pretender?" the light beneath his feet went out as he broke it by stomping his foot. "Me, the king? If you cannot discern my identity even in the presence of my glory, your blindness will seal your doom!" From behind him a golden glow appears and two weapons are drawn from it.

"Are those..."

"Noble Phantasms..." Waver said, clearly shocked. "Those are Noble Phantasms!"

"Foolish mongrels. Now then, prepare to face the wrath of a king!"

However, he was cut off by a swirl of darkness appearing, a mar in the landscape. A swirl of pure darkness had appeared, a black flame that burned furiously before dissipating, revealing... A black figure, of what could be a knight, but could also not be a knight, shrouded in black, cloaked in darkness. Truly, skulking the shadows.

Avenger turned it's helmed head in the black knight's direction. "Hoh? Is that Berserker then?"

Lancer laughed nervously. "Oi, Rider? Do you plan on inviting him?"

Rider grunted. "He doesn't seem the thinking type... Boy, how strong is he?"

Waver looked at the black knight and recoiled slightly. "I... I can't tell! It's as if..."

As if his stats were being obscured by some black cloud. He is obviously strong though..." all eyes went to the black figure, who was clearly unnerving most of those present.

However, that shock would not last long. A ki blast streaked through the air and slammed into the earth with a whoosh.

"Hmm? They're arriving then?"

An explosion of power lit the battlefield, forcing Lancer and Waver to avert their eyes. When the light had passed, two figures had appeared, one clad in a black suit with white and blue armor while the other in scarlet and gold, one blond and the other redheaded, both radiating power and an aura that could only be described as deadly.

Once again silence until...

"Mathias, Audrey, what are you two doing here!?" Lancer called in question.


	7. First Night Part III

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 6**

**First Night Part III**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

Mathias looked at Lancer and gave a smirk that exposed one canine. "I am a part of this war as well, Lancer, and Audrey is actually my servant, Saber."

Irisviel was surprised. Alexander was stroking his beard while grinning, Avenger was suitably surprised, both by the redhead and his companion, and Archer?

One could see a vein pulsing in his head. He was clearly, clearly annoyed. Well, pretty much anything could set off Gilgamesh's temper, hell, even looking at him warrants punishment.

Yeah, Archer? He was enraged.

"Lord Mathias, you made a scene."

Avenger turned to Arturia, just now noticing her. "Is that..."

"Milady, you should know that I have the propensity for showboating. It is in my instincts." Mathias replied before turning his attention to the others "Where are my manners? As you know, beside me is Servant Saber. As for me... I am Mathias the First, ruler of Ariel and leader of her peoples."

A sword flashed through the air towards Mathias and Arturia and promptly exploded.

"Fool. You dare appear before me again? There will be no forgiveness for the disrespect you have shown me!" the Golden King stated, still enraged from the events of the day. "Mongrels like you should just return to the dirt from whence they came!" of course, his rage had another target. "And you, you mad dog. What do you think you are looking at?" a spear and a sword appeared from a golden ripple in the air, glorious and fine in manufacture and design. "Return to the Earth!" the sword and spear were fired, and another explosion that sent up a large plume of smoke.

"You are still an impotent, petulant brat." came a deep bass from within the first cloud of smoke as a crimson sword, wreathed in white hot flames, made itself known in Mathias' hands.

"What the hell!" Waver cried, more shocked than terrified. "How the hell did he survive that?"

Mathias smiled, a predatory fang-toothed grin that would look right at home on some ancient beast of yore.

"Attacks like that have no effect on a Warrior-king of my caliber."

Meanwhile, Senor Goldie-pants was still raging.

"You dare mock me... You would dare defy the justice of the King?!"

Arturia decided to speak her mind. "I do not see a king standing before, merely a petulant brat. If you are a king then come down and fight like a king should!"

Mathias' grin never faltered as he spoke into her ear "excellent choice of words, milady."

Archer's rage reached a new peak.

"Another pretender? What insolence..." more weapons appeared, surrounded by those golden ripples, weapons of the highest quality, of the highest make, of the highest manufacture. Weapons fit for a king, and there were so many too.

Spears, swords, axes, knives, daggers, scythes, halberds... If it could be named, then Archer had it. All Noble Phantasms, or on the level of a Noble Phantasm.

However, before he could fire the weapons, Archer paused. "And the mad dog survives, too?"

Berserker had indeed survived the two weapons Archer had fired. The black knight was walking out of the plume of smoke, wielding a tainted sword in one hand, spider-webbed with red veins and emitting an ominous cloud of darkness.

"Interesting... To have such skill in such a state." Rider murmured.

"Yes, did you not see it, then? He caught that sword and used it to destroy the spear..." Avenger spoke, startling Waver, who had almost forgotten about the heavily armoured servant. "But that is not what interests me..."

"You damned mongrels...I'll just kill you now!" Before the weapons could fire however, Archer came to a complete halt, and looked up, clearly annoyed. "Retreat? You've got some nerve Tokiomi, to order a king around like a mere peasant..." the weapons all retracted, the ripples closed, the few weapons that remained on the ground dissolved into golden dust. Archer was near apoplectic about his forced retreat, but he could do nothing in response. A command seal had been used, and compliance was forced.

"Tch... Having to run like this... How distasteful." he turned to leave, though not without some parting words. "Mongrels! See that you've culled your numbers by our next meeting, as only a true hero is worthy of looking upon me! And you two... You had better not try the patience of the King a third time..." with a final sneer, that king dissolved into golden particles and vanished, but not before Mathias got in a final parting shot "Anytime you wish to try your luck with me again, just say so and I will pimp-smack you again brat!"

The sudden quiet was shortly broken by Rider's low rumble. "Mathias, just who is that character?"

Mathias growled his irritation, humorously causing both Arturia and Avenger to show slight discomfort in their postures for a few seconds. "That just confirmed my suspicions. That haughty disposition, the vast treasury of weapons, that golden armour... There has only been one hero produced by humans that has owned all of the Earth's treasures."

Arturia looked at Mathias in utter shock. "You mean...!"

"Yes, that petulant brat is Gilgamesh, King of Heroes." the scar-faced redhead replied. "And he is Tōsaka's servant. Clearly this war is proving to be quite interesting." he paused "What will all of you do now?"

Avenger stepped forwards, visibly trembling with anticipation. "We meet again, Lord Mathias, father."

Waver blanched. "Wait, father? Saber is a woman! Why the hell are you referring to Saber with masculine pronouns?" Waver shouted. "She's clearly a girl!"

"King Arthur is my father, it matters not what gender he is, it is the inexorable truth. Lancer, you wished to know my name, did you not?"

"Avenger! What are you doing?!"

"No, this is a matter of pride. For you see, my name is Mordred. That bastard child of the King of Knights, Arthur!" Avenger rumbled angrily.

"Mordred..." Saber murmured softly. She traced an invisible line on her chest, where she was cut down in battle."Remembering past wounds, father? I know that O remember mine." Avenger's hand went to her side.

"..."

"So this is the heroic spirit King Arthur?" Irisviel stated.

"Audrey, you are really King Arthur?" Lancer asked incredulously, receiving a nod in response as she said "My name is not Audrey, it is Arturia, Arturia Pendragon."

A brief lull in the talking, as various parties contemplated this idea.

Mathias' feral grin remained in place. "Are we to do battle, then? Because if that is to be the case.. Then we will have to give a good showing, will we not?"

A roar caused everyone's attention to turn to Berserker, who had picked up a lamppost and was charging at the servant/master pair. Avenger drew her sword and was slowly advancing in that same direction.

"Warriors today have no manners, do they?" Mathias said. "Milady, if you please, I will leave your erstwhile daughter in your lovely hands for the moment." he finished, subtly flirting with Arturia at the same time. This received a cry of rage from Avenger, much to Arturia's surprise even as she blushed from the compliment.

Mathias charged Berserker, the lamppost sliced in twain as the force carried over and it's pieces were ripped from Berserker's hands. Before the mad servant could register anything else, it was hit with the flat of the blade across it's helmet, sending the servant flying.

"I will be back shortly, Mordred is yours."

Arturia nodded. "Go, i have some business to attend to." she glanced at her partner, eyes narrowing in concern. "You will be alright, won't you?"

"Of course, leave this rapid animal to me. The Earth will once again feel the mighty drumbeat of ten thousand years of Arielian warfare."

Arturia smirked. "Very well then, Milord. I'll leave you to it."

With that the Servant of the Sword charged forward in a sudden burst of speed to do combat with the irregular servant that had been summoned while her partner rushed to wage war against the mad servant.

Metal against metal, steel against steel, flesh against flesh. Two figures fought against two figures, a blue knight versus a red one, and a robed redhead versus a twisted knight. The sound of swords striking swords rang out, blades blurring at supernatural speeds.

It was not a match of normal men. It was the realm of those that were 'not human', that were above humanity. It was a match of servants, making it all the more surprising that a 'human' could actually compete in this match of heroes."I must say..." Rider rumbled ponderously. "Those two... Are quite strong."

Waver was slack jawed. "No shit. How the fuck... What the hell... What the..."

"Indeed. Despite wielding such a showy weapon, Mathias is moving deftly and with relative ease." Lancer noted. What's more, is that he is matching Berserker blow for blow, meaning..."

Rider finished Lancer's sentence. "Meaning that Mathias is quite strong... To be able to fight the maddened servant head on, is an incredible accomplishment. Not to mention... Do you not see their coordination?"

"Coordination?"

Lancer whistled. "Yeah. I see it now."

Irisviel tilted her head slightly in confusion. "Coordination...?"

"Their movements. Do you not notice that their battles coincide with one another, that is to say, the combatants cross paths?" Rider said. "And yet, the both of them are mindful of where the other is... Truly remarkable."

Mathias deflected yet another strike with his ancestral blade, almost casual despite the speed and the incredible force of Berserker's blows. "You were quite skilled in life Berserker, to be able to fight this well even under Mad Enhancement. I would even dare to say that you remind me of someone I used to spar against long ago."

Berserker roared and tried to push Mathias' sword back, trying to crush him with brute strength. Eventually, Mathias ducked and rolled, coming around in a swing that became an overhead slam, a hit that caused Berserker's knees to buckle as a tremor shot through the Earth.

"That ability, how interesting."

Over in the observer's section, Rider nodded. "Yes, that ability... The black thing seems able to make Noble Phantasms out of whatever it picks up."

Meanwhile, Arturia was fighting with Mordred. Fighting being the relative term, all things considered, seeing as Avenger had a large gash on one of her arms.

The red knight grunted as another of Arturia's blows clanged against her blade.

"Who so cruel, father? It has been such a long time... Such a long time since we have seen each other."

"Enough Mordred. If you continue speaking, you may very well die in combat."

Avenger sighed. "This wound... How annoying. A spear that deals wounds that can never heal... How irritating... Seeing as it prevents me from killing you... Father."

Another clash of steel, blades dead-locked, green eyes staring at an emotionless helm.

"When we last fought, you told me that I lacked the capacity of a king. Do you still think so, Arthur? Do you still believe that I lack the capacity of a king, as I am able to stand against you whilst handicapped? DO I?!" Avenger screamed the last part out.

Arturia sighed, and closed her eyes in weariness.

"I said it before, haven't I? I do not despise you. You simply lacked that capacity of the king." she replied.

This enraged Mordred even further than Arturia thought possible.

"The King, always about the King! What is the capacity of the king? What is a king? You, who had his country burned before her eyes, who has failed her own people, you have the gall to judge me? Please die!"

And with that, Mordred continued her enraged assault, blow upon blow striking the blade of the King of Knights.

Mathias was enlightened.

"I see it now." he said to himself, as Berserker nearly buckled under one of his blows. "I know who you are now."

It was clear that Berserker was skilled in close range, quite possibly on a level with Arturia. Only a very small group of swordsmen could claim that distinction. But this rage he could feel directed towards Arturia, this maddened rage filled with regret, only one man could possess those qualities. Filled with determination and insight, Mathias' aura exploded to life in an aurora of color as the flames that surrounded the Bloodoath blade took on those same properties.

Berserker quickly found itself without a weapon as the second lamppost it had ripped from the ground was now explosively ripped from it's own grasp, a slight bit of surprised sanity caused the maddened servant to turn it's head to watch as the lamppost went flying, only turn around when it felt a vice-like grip on it's throat as Mathias picked it up with a single hand.

Mathias held the servant up, his tail now waving in the air behind him in a fashion to show his deadly intent, and before anyone could realize what was going on, Mathias spun as he threw Berserker overhead, never letting go of the servant's throat, and slamming him head and shoulders first, into the pavement. A blast of air and dust shot out on the moment of impact, only for the ground to suddenly crater as it collapsed under the two warriors in an explosion of dust and concrete a few seconds later.

The explosion, despite not truly having any actual explosives involved, was deafening. Mathias stood up from his kneeling position and gave a loud growling roar as he stood over the unconscious Berserker.

"What the...?" Lancer started, in sheer shock. "What did Mathias just do?"

Rider beamed, clearly excited about how powerful the robed Magi was showing himself to be. "Did you not see? He used pure brute strength to disarm and slam Berserker into the ground, the force of which destroyed the very ground they fought on. Powerful, oh so powerful."

Lancer paled. "That is quite frightening of him."

Avenger stopped as her blade deadlocked with Arturia's once more, and started at the blossoming plume of smoke. "Hmm, it seems that Lord Mathias is as strong as ever, defeating something like Berserker in such a fashion."

Arturia grinned before she realized the rather 'lusty' tone of voice that Mordred had used. "Of course he is. Milord is of the few in this era that I would trust my back to. He is a warrior-king the likes our world has never seen."

Surprisingly Avenger seemed rather pleased with that. "Of course he is, I still remember those days of training, quite fondly."

"You miss him, don't you?" Arturia's question catching Mordred's attention. "You long for the days when he would take your hands in his own and show you the way of the way of the sword."

"I... Yes. I enjoyed how it felt when he would take my hands, showing me the stances as he stood behind me, guiding my body towards perfection in the art."

"He does have a powerfully build body." Arturia said softly, so that their conversation wouldn't go beyond them. "I have seen him without his robes. I have lain in his bed." she told her offspring.

Avenger, upon hearing that, grew enraged once more. "AGAIN! Again I have been shunned! You have taken him from ME!"

"Avenger, I ask you to retreat. You are wounded quit severely and I outmatch you. It would be unseemly of me to dispose of you of a wounded opponent like this, even if you are-"

The red knight snarled. "You forget who it was that killed you ARTHUR!" A crimson aura began flickering around the enraged servant of vengeance, as red as freshly shed blood. The magi present could feel her prana levels flickering, quickly rising, soaring. This could mean only one thing.

Avenger was going to release her Noble Phantasm. The two halves of helmet split and lowered themselves into her armour, revealing a face that was identical to Arturia's. That is to say, the face of a very pretty young woman.


	8. First Night Part IV

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 7**

**First Night Part IV**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

Rider hummed in contemplation. "So it is true, then. That is Mordred, and Arturia is Arthur Pendragon, the King of Knights. What good fortune! To fight opponents such as these..."

Mordred wore an expression of absolute rage and fury, anger against her 'father', against that person who represented everything she wanted to be in life, and against that person who took the man she craved. She raised her sword in both hands, uncaring for the wound that was on one of them, and began to unleash her final attack, in a desperate attempt to kill her most hated enemy.

However, even this effort was stopped when Mathias moved to beside Arturia and said "Mordred! Do you wish to know what fate awaited your mother?"

This stopped everything, Mordred's attack was stopped as that ever present care a child has for a parent made itself known, her eyes blinking in surprise as she beheld the sight of the man who had starred in more than a couple of her x-rated dreams.

"What happened?" she began, "what happened to my mother after my death?" came the reply.

"Your mother, Morgan le Fay, was executed for high treason, at MY hands." Mathias answered and Mordred's face was wreathed in both shocked grief and rage. "She begged me not to end her, pleaded for mercy, she even went so far as to offer her body to me if I would but spare her life. I ran her through with this very blade in response." Mathias finished, shocking the other people in attendance.

Mordred's rage returned ten fold at that and her final attack returned with a vengeance, as befitting her class.

Arturia watched in awe, and much to her embarrassment, more than a little lust, as Mathias' aura returned once more, his body and the blade in his hands glowing with an iridescence that was easily apparent. Mathias' form was then wreathed in the form that Arturia saw during her first spar with him on Wakusei Ariel, the form that was unmistakably that of an Elder God.

The other observers were shocked to see that form, the armour, the flaming eyes, the aurora of color that was the aura around him, it displayed a level of majesty that NO mere mortal or hero could match. Behind him, Mathias' tail waved in the fierce winds produced by the rising energy.

Once the energy built up to a crescendo, the two warriors lashed out with their ultimate attacks;

"CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!"

"Ryūgonken!"

Crimson red met white as the foul energy of Mordred's ultimate attack slammed into the white hot flames of the Dragon Soul Sword. Mordred's attack, fueled by her rage and wanton hatred, was incapable of matching the flames of the Ryūgonken, which was fueled by the nine celestial dragons who guard the Elder God of Dragons, and answer ONLY to him or one of his descendants. Such as Mathias himself.

Clarent Blood Arthur was ripped apart by the white hot flames, which turned the very ground to glass as they traveled, forcing Mordred to have to leap out of the way, only to find Mathias right there waiting on her. With a single backhand swing, Mathias sends Mordred flying, to land on her back a little passed Irisviel, who jumped in fright when she noticed that Mathias was headed seemingly her way, the Bloodoath Blade shimmering from the white hot flames still dancing upon it's steel.

When Mathias reached her, the flames extinguished themselves a few moments before he sheathed the blade, making Irisviel relax a little. She was still intimidated by the massive mountain of muscle standing in front of her, but dare she say it? It was quite arousing to see it from up close like this, every cut of that heavily muscled frame stood out while she could see that he had enough fat on his frame that it still looked natural.

"Miss Irisviel von Einzbern, I presume?" came the deep bass from deep within Mathias' chest, and Irisviel just nodded in response while in a slight daze, never noticing as both Arturia and Avenger seemed to start glaring at her.

Mathias looked at the Einzbern homunculus, noting the long silver hair that flowed like a river down her back while framing a beautifully aristocratic face and red eyes. Her skin was pale as well while she wore a fur-trimmed white coat and hat. As he studied her features, a pair of scents hit his nose and he said "You have the scents of a man and a young child, a girl I believe, on you. Husband and daughter?"

Irisviel was knocked from her daze at that accurate statement as she said "Hai. I'm helping my husband, Emiya Kiritsugu, in the war. And we have a daughter, Illyasviel, together." receiving a warm smile of care from Mathias as he looked down at her, her cheeks turning a bright shade of pink despite the scar she could see running down his face.

Arturia was dismayed to see the blush on Irisviel's face, as the homunculus was very beautiful and curvy, with the figure of a mature woman, not the young teen-like figure that Arturia and Avenger possessed. Her dismay grew when she saw Mathias raise his right hand and seemingly run it alongside Irisviel's face, caressing it.

The crack of a rifle going off ended the sentimental scene and Mathias suddenly turned, his arm up and fist clenched. He squeezed with his hand and the sound of something made of metal being bent rang out just before he opened his hand, a ruined bullet falling to the ground.

"Just when I was beginning to get an idea of how the Grail's magic works too. Curse the rampant jealousy of humans." Mathias popped off as Mordred returned to her feet, jealous that Mathias seemed to be giving Irisviel the attention that Mordred felt she alone deserved to feel.

A second crack issued forth and this bullet ended up the same as the first, crushed inside the steel-like fist of the ruler of the Arielian Empire. Unlike the last time, Mathias merely gave a growl of irritation before firing a ki wave at the two figures he sensed in the distance, a man with spikey black hair and a woman with short yet smooth black hair, both clad in black and packing firearms, a Steyr AUG in the woman's hands.

A smirk appeared his face as he said "That will teach those impudent gun-wielding humans to fire on me". He could see the two sprawling on the ground, alive, but knocked out cold, they wouldn't be threatening him or his people again anytime tonight.

"What are you doing, Lancer? Finish off Avenger, or better yet, Saber!" the voice of Lancer's master wafted through the air, a slight tinge of annoyance present in it's quality.

"I will slay Avenger! I, Diarmuid O'Dyna, swear on my honor."

"By my command seal, I order you..."

"My Lord!"

"Finish that sentence, El-Melloi, and Sola-Ui will never again see a Nine-tailed fox kit." Mathias said as he introduced himself into that little conversation. "Take it from me, El-Melloi; Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor Hell a fury like a woman scorned." he finished and that got everyone to thinking as Irisviel asked softly "Nine-tailed fox? Those are real?"

"But of course, Lady Einzbern." Mathias began. "My Clan raises them with the blessings of Inari Okami herself, the kits are adorably cute as they play amongst the halls and fields of the Imperial City."

"I love the sound of them already." Irisviel commented just before Mathias used telepathy to show her what they looked like as they played and then said "Milady and I have one of the kits in our hotel room at this very moment."

"_Oh, I want one, they're so wonderfully cute!_" the Einzbern homunculus commented in her mind as her minds eye was filled with visions of having entire litters of adorable fox kits to pet and dote on, right alongside her daughter.

"Lord Mathias." Lancer began and said man turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

"If I were to challenge Saber to battle, would you hold it against my lord?" Lancer finished and Mathias shook his head.

"If you make the choice to challenge milady yourself, then I will not hold it against El-Melloi, for it was not his decision to make the challenge, it was yours." Mathias finished.

Lancer smiled in gratitude before saying "I, Diarmuid O'Dyna, challenge you, Arturia Pendragon, to a duel, the victor to proceed further in the Holy Grail War."

Arturia looked Mathias' way and he said "Go, I will keep that daughter of yours busy. It will be just like old times."

"Old times it is then." Arturia commented before turning to Lancer "I, Arturia Pendragon, accept your challenge, Diarmuid O'Dyna. May the victor live well." she finished.

Lancer lashed out with his golden spear, which Arturia promptly blocked with her invisible blade. Lancer lunged forward only to be launched backwards after blocking a swing from her.

"Incredible! Your swings are so powerful." Lancer cried out in surprise due to the force of the hit.

"Of course. I have spent this month since my summoning back to the mortal realm living with Milord on his homeworld of Ariel. The gravity there is ten times that of Earth."

Lancer and the others in attendance were gob-smacked when they heard that. More so that Arturia had lived there for a month, then it dawned on them that Mathias not only lived on a planet that harsh, he was born and grew up there, too.

The level of fear that permeated the air and directed at a now casually standing Mathias had the mammoth of a man smirking and crossing his arms over his chest. His body language essentially said 'I'm a badass motherfucker and I know it'.

His casual stance changed in an instant, however, when Avenger charged at him, the unrivaled and hellish fury of a scorned woman readily apparent on her face. In an instant the Bloodoath Blade was once more in his hands, but this time the weapon did not erupt into flames, allowing the blade to be seen clearly as the rings, well, rung, due to the rapid movement.

The two clashed and, before Avenger could respond, she went flying from Mathias' left fist impacting her cheek. When she came close to the ground she slapped it with a palm and used that to springboard back to her feet, armour clanging in protest at the acrobatic move as she shot forward once more.

Mathias stood his ground by lowering his stance into one that was better suited for staying in one spot and not budging an inch, a wise move as Avenger came rushing in on the attack.

Mathias found himself on the receiving end of the most ferocious barrage of attacks he'd ever witnessed come from Avenger, Mordred's overwhelming rage and fury giving new life to her attacks. Eventually Mathias tired of just standing there and blocking or parrying Avenger's attacks, timing his next attack with one of her own, he swung in and the sound of metal on metal resounded just before the force carried over, an explosive burst of over-pressurized air sending Avenger flying.

As soon as Avenger got her feet under her again, she found her position reversed as slashes and cuts came down on her at such a pace all she could do was perform a fighting retreat, backing up as each blow from Mathias shattered her guard like glass, the tiny blond unable to cope with the immense strength that was casually being thrown her way. Mathias' assault continued until, finally, she noticed his eyes dart for a moment in the direction of the battle between Lancer and Arturia, where Lancer was being pushed back and on the defensive.

As soon as his eyes returned to her, she noticed his fighting strength suddenly increased, and her sword was ripped from her grasp and into the air spinning as she went flying. When Avenger finally landed, she slid all the way back to Irisviel before stopping, the Clarent coming down and slicing into the ground right next to her cheek, a thin line of crimson opening up where the blade cut her on it's way down.

As she stumbled to her feet, she fell down to one knee as her leg buckled, chest heaving as she tried to draw in air, the sound of a sword slicing through air for a split second was all of the warning she had as the Bloodoath Blade suddenly appeared at the side of her neck."Yield, Mordred, I will not kill my own student unless you give me no choice."

"Tch, fine. Woman, we're leaving. I cannot win against my mentor and will die if I challenge him any more tonight." she replied calmly, though Mathias could smell her arousal due to the way he dominated her in the battle.

"Yes, of course!" Irisviel stammered. She turned and left, with Avenger slowly fading away, into red particles. The red Knight was slowly entering spirit form.

"I look forward to our next meeting, father. It'll be interesting, pitting myself against you and Lord Mathias again." she gave a rather lusty grin. "I wonder, is he this dominating in other places."

Arturia twitched in anger. "You will not touch Milord. You will not look at Milord with those eyes, and I will not allow you to sink your claws into him!" she all but screamed, displaying more emotion than she had during her entire battle against Avenger. Avenger merely smirked and faded away.

Lancer had wisely decided to stay out of that, keeping his spears to himself lest he enrage the blond who'd been kicking his ass this entire time. When Arturia turned back to him, he saw gratitude in her eyes.

"I know Milord will stay out of our duel, however, do you think you can defeat him should you manage to cut me down?" Arturia asked Lancer, who took one glance at Mathias and turned away, the sight of that massive man not even breathing hard after having fought Berserker and then Avenger back to back was terrifying the shit out of him. Sure Mathias wasn't near as tall as Rider, but Mathias' powerfully muscled frame and wild yet regal visage made him seem ten feet tall, and he'd already proven himself as bulletproof.

This made for a sight so intimidating that Lancer shook his head and said "I would fall, Lord Mathias is a warrior-king who has proven why he was chosen to wear the crown of Emperor of his people."

"That is enough... Retreat."

"Yes, my lord." the lance-wielding servant turned to leave. "It has been an honor facing you, King of Knights. I look forward to continuing our duel."

"I would be happy to oblige you." Arturia replied easily, giving a firm nod of her head.

"You can face her anytime you wish, Diarmuid, a warrior of your honor is exceedingly hard to come by amongst humans in this day and age, where corruption and money rule." Mathias said with the confident smirk you could only find on a monarch. With those final words, Lancer left, leaving four figures on the docks.


	9. First Night Part V

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 8**

**First Night Part V**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

"My, my... How interesting." Rider chuckled. "Mathias, you certainly are a man of mighty strength, aren't you?"

"What exactly was your intent when you first arrived, King of Conquerors?" Arturia addressed the tall man who held his chin in thought.

"No idea. I don't really think about these things." Rider replied, making Mathias' grin turn into one of amusement as he chuckled, Rider was such an honest man that it made him wonder what it was like living in his Kingdom. Mathias had been confined to his throne for quite a while at that point and so was unable to get away and see to Earth's events. "Settle matters with Avenger first. I shall face the victor, be that you or Avenger. Goodbye for now, King of Knights!" Rider turned and grabbed his reins.

"And goodbye to you, Mathias. I hope that our next meeting is as enjoyable as this one has been. Hey boy, don't you have anything nice to say?" Looking down at Waver he noticed something. Pulling him up by his collar it was clear that he had fallen unconscious from the shock of the massive explosion. "Man I wish he'd man up a little." Mathias smiled and Arturia gave a small one of her own as Rider snapped his reins. "Farewell!" he flew off into the sky as if the sky were the very road.

Mathias and Arturia were the only ones left on the former battlefield. The robe-clad redhead drew in a huge draft of air before releasing it, blowing it out through his nose as he sheathed the Bloodoath blade and turned to Arturia.

"Shall we go home, Milady?" came his question and the two began walking away, a tall redheaded figure alongside a relatively shorter blond figure. Mathias' tail waving through the air in content.

"Yes, Milord." came the reply. The battlefield was now empty, save for the unconscious form of Berserker as it slowly faded into spirit form.

A door opened in the Maestro household, and two figures stumbled through said threshold. The taller figure shut the door, the twosome knocking around from a lip lock of superheated passion, and eventually fell onto the bed. The fox kit saw them coming, whined, and took off to another part of the suite at a run. The smaller one gave a moan of desire, something in the battle they waged had awoken something in her she could no longer fight against.

Arturia was on fire. Seeing Mathias in actual combat, watching as his skin rippled and muscles flexed, it turned her on in ways she never thought possible.

During the days of Camelot, she'd watched as he sparred with the Knights of the Round table, watched as he made the greatest of knights look like mere squires, as if they'd never before handled a sword in their lives. Sirs Galahad, Gawain, Bedivere, Percival, Arturia herself, even the traitors Lancelot and Mordred, not one of them could make Mathias so much as feel threatened in a duel.

After she was mortally wounded by Mordred, she thought she'd never see him again, only to be reunited with him nearly 2 millennia later for the Grail War following her summoning by his ancestor. In the month preceding the war's onset, she'd watched as he handled his personal affairs and the affairs of state with wisdom and a love and care towards his people that Arturia felt she'd never be able to replicate. Spending time sparring with both him and his Imperial Senshi, she found herself falling for him all over again.

Arriving in Fuyuki city she was able to see the more strategically cunning side of him, to watch as he easily set events in motion that would bring about their victory through cunning and guile, not straightforward and overwhelmingly brutish force. She could see his strength, his wisdom, his valor, and his virtue, all of it on full-display for all to see.

Try as she might, being exposed to so much man, both clothed and unclothed, for such a long period of time, had finally been too much for Arturia's self-control, so she now tried to suck his tongue out through his mouth as they battled for dominance.

Despite the ferocity of Arturia's 'attack', Mathias was not idle either, hands roaming, touching, and removing clothing as he sought to free her of her armour and bodysuit, revealing beautifully smooth yet slightly pale skin. His hands continued their roaming, touching and caressing as much of her as they could. No piece of her skin went untouched, those places that granted greater sensations and delights were located and centered on, bringing his partner to ever greater highs of sheer pleasure.

The last thing Mathias heard as he used telekinesis to cut the light off was Arturia's voice moaning his name.

In a separate location, a crystal ball gleamed, displaying images of two knights; one blue and one red.

It was a dank space, dark that surpassed normal black. The faint screaming and moaning of the damned could be heard, eerie noises of those pained souls drifting through the tangible darkness.

The only source of illumination was that of a crystal ball, about the size of a ball of yarn.

"Awesome, awesome, awesome!" a redheaded young man gleefully shouted, clearly excited about recent events. "That was SOOOOO COOL! Did you see that guy blow up that other guy? And that explosion when the pavement cratered! Sooo cool!"

The other figure was hunched over the crystal ball, visibly trembling.

"Sir?"

"It has come true... My dream has been realized... What i have been striving for... Has been realized! The holy maiden!" a gaunt and pallid face was tearing up, tears of elation.

"Er... What?"

"She who was once abandoned by God, annihilated in disgrace. But now, she has been resurrected. It's a miracle! It was because of my faithful wishes... Those that allowed her to be reborn!"

Ryunosuke had no idea that was going on, but he could understand the man whom he admired, Bluebeard's current state of delight. Also, though he and Bluebeard have not been together for very long, Bluebeard could always reveal great and impressive ideas even in times of great distress. A new challenger to the world, a murderer - the strange man whom Ryunosuke worshiped was a sadistic artist.

Therefore, to Ryunosuke, Bluebeard's happiness - whatever may have happened to him must have been a good thing, and it was certainly worth anticipating.

"For some strange reason, i'm beginning to get excited as well, Sir Bluebeard."

The other's face twisted in an evil sneer. "There is a fake though... A copy, not fit to wear the visage of that Holy Maiden! Such impudence... It must be punished!"

Caster shook his hair loose as he simultaneously wept and cried. He clasped the crystal tightly with both hands as he pressed his forehead against it's icy surface, his frenzied eyes staring at the face of the young woman, the noble knight in blue that wielding an invisible blade.

"Oh... Maiden, my holy chaste virgin... I will be with you soon. No matter what, please wait for me..."

Arturia woke up with a start, a feeling had her feeling sick as her stomach seemed to twist itself into knots, a groan of pain slipping from her lips as she stumbled out of bed, leaving the massive and muscular body of the man whom she gave herself to exposed to the open air, the command seals on his chest now appeared to be a tattoo, which she had learned were the Arielian letters for 'Fire', 'Wind', and 'Water'. These are Mathias' three elemental affinities in the arcane arts as well as his ninjutsu.

Making her way to the bathroom, she was startled when her vision began to slowly turn GREEN, everything in the dark room becoming easily and clearly visible as if it were the middle of the day, but overlaid in a green haze. She reached the bathroom, turned the light on, and seethed, the light was overwhelmingly bright to her eyes where it was a mild annoyance at best before.

Looking at the mirror, she was shocked to see that her hair was starting to stand up, becoming somewhat wild and unkempt, much like her lover's own, as it seemingly blew in a non-existent wind. As she stared at her reflection, she was thrown out of it when her cramping stomach did so MUCH worse than before, so much so that she fell to her knees with a cry that sounded way too loud to her ears. The fox kit ran into the room and to her side, concern in the very soft whines it was releasing.

As she held her stomach from the pain, she thought back to when she and Mathias had been told about the propensity for Grail War masters to utilize tantric rituals to empower their servants when the servant and master were of opposite genders. She remembered Mathias' words in response to that VERY clearly; "_Only a human mage would resort to a tantric ritual, as that would be the only way that they would acquire a woman to make love with._"

She managed a laugh in spite of the pain and said through her teeth "You said you would never take part in a tantric ritual, love, but I think you ended up doing so anyway." she struggled to return to her feet. Doing so she took one look at her right forearm and froze.

Staring back at her, almost tauntingly, was a golden colored scale, sitting upon her now darkening skin as if it belonged there. It was quickly joined by others as Arturia felt her insides seemingly multiply, muscle fibers suddenly and violently exploding as their density increased and her bones felt like they were snapping as they too became more dense. She even felt a buildup at her tailbone, as if something were trying to grow from it.

The loud cry she gave as she hit the floor was combined with her wildly fluctuating ki and it woke up every ki-adept in the city, Mathias was on his feet and in the room mere milliseconds later, where he instantly picked her up gently and laid her on the bed before his undergarments and robes magically appeared covering him. Kage and her shinobi appeared in the room as the changes continued to occur.

They watched on in shock as Arturia's body was rapidly covered in golden scales, the scales eventually stopping at her hands and feet while leaving her head, neck, and the center of her chest and upper abdomen bare to show lightly tanned skin. Arturia's hair, once straight, was now wild and unkempt, orange eyeshadow appeared around her eyes.

They were startled when she gave a cry of pain and turned onto her side, the skin right over and between the swell of her rear was bulging, surging, before it finally split and a tail, covered in smooth golden scales, shot out and extended to it's full length as Arturia's figure matured and turned into a version of Kage's own, but for Arturia's shorter stature. Once the tail finished growing, reaching such a length that it was longer than her legs, a glow came from Arturia's body as she curled up into the fetal position from the still overwhelming pain.

When the glow passed, the group were shocked to see a white and gold version of Mathias' robes were now Arturia's garb, but with long sleeves instead of sleeveless.

Arturia's breath was ragged as tears of pain poured from her clenched shut eyes and her hands gripped her upper arms with painful force. She felt sudden relief as Mathias knelt down next to her and began gently running his hand up and down her back, channeling his ki into her in such a way that would sooth her aches and pains.

As he did that Kage looked on in shock as she said "Saigo... no... Ariel-jin, but HOW?"

"I do not know for sure, ancestor." Mathias told her, not expecting Arturia to respond "What is it? What is Saigo no Ariel-jin?"

"I will tell you when you are feeling better, when the pain has passed." Mathias told her and she merely nodded before sleep claimed her once more. Once he was sure she was in a sound sleep, Mathias ushered the shinobi from the room while asking the kunoichi to stay behind. When the kunoichi were the only ones left in the room, Mathias removed Arturia's robes and settled her between the sheets, the painfully exhausted blond releasing a sigh of content as her sleep deepened.

Once she was peacefully settled, he'd noted her body instinctively curled it's tail around her waist for both comfort and safety, he stood back up and left the room, the fox kit jumping up onto the bed and curling up next to it's 'mistress', falling asleep in moments.

In the living room, Mathias and the Kunoichi sat down and he said "I never expected something like this to happen when I agreed to take part in the Heaven's feel, and why does that term now seem so loaded?"

The Kunoichi giggled at their Emperor's seeming lack of foresight as Kage commented "You never cease to amaze me, descendant. I thought I had seen it all during the Golden Age, when your ancestor and my niece would transform the landscape with a single jutsu, but every time I think I have seen everything, you go and do something so totally different and unexpected that it is unprecedented."

"The universe would not be worth living in if people like the two of us did not find new discoveries or things to do, ancestor." Mathias commented and got a smile from Kage for the remark.

"Yes, that is true. By the gods I hate this semi-immortal state you, Aracely, and I are stuck in. It makes everything so damned complicated." she said and Mathias merely nodded his head.

"Yes. It does. This situation is getting out of hand, I am going to give the order to deploy a part of the Imperial Senshi. With Arturia's ascension we will require greater security for ourselves."

"That is true. I caught and killed one of Assassin's aspects during the duels tonight."

"Oh? It did not see you, did it?"

"Of course not, no human assassin can match up to me or one of my shadow warriors. Would you like me to take a look at the fuin you are using to protect the suite?"

"I would be grateful, honored ancestor, but I ask that you do not reveal the arrays in the bedroom. Arturia needs her sleep after transforming like that."

"Of course." Kage said before she whispered "Seal reveal." and the array revealed itself, as a glowing light that slowly dimmed before going out, the arrays now visible as black ink on the walls.

Mathias watched as Kage walked through the apartment, a small light on her right index fingertip as she moved, correcting flaws in the arrays when she found them. Once she was finished she came back into the room and said "Done, my child. Once Lady Arturia has woken up and is ready for the day I will reveal the arrays that are in the bedroom and do to them what I did to these, mostly upgrades and efficiency improvements."

"You have my thanks, ancestor, may the Goddess Orenda be with you." Mathias replied just as Kage and the kunoichi left in bursts of smoke.

The next morning, Arturia awoke to find herself scale to scale with a sleeping Mathias, and when her tail unraveled itself and touched him, he awoke. When he saw her he said "Good morning, Milady. You are now an Ariel-jin, one of the Goddess Orenda's chosen children. Saigo no Ariel-jin is the peak of the blessings bestowed upon us by Orenda no Kensei, our ultimate and final transformed state."


	10. Mystique and Intrigue Part I

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 9**

**Mystique and Intrigue Part I**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

Kiritsugu frowned, and idly continued smoking a cigarette as he continued pondering his current predicament.

His problem being numerous things, several of which were extremely pressing and would most certainly completely derail his plans.

First of all, the Einzberns lost their original catalyst. Avalon vanished just as they managed to discover it's location and had it practically in hand.

Old man Acht was pissed. It had taken quite a lot of time and effort to even locate Avalon, and then the sheath vanished into thin air. Fortunately, the Einzberns had a backup. However, much to Kiritsugu's dismay, he got the servant class Avenger, meaning that there were no class benefits for his servant, Mordred.

Kiritsugu was irritated at this turn of events, but this wasn't what was bothering him. No, what Kiritsugu was currently worried about were the events that had occurred at the docks. To be honest a certain magical redhead.

Mathias the First.

The Magus killer had heard of Mathias, heard the innumerable rumors. Mathias was a man who was said to have appeared at various events in history and used his immense strength to shake the very foundations of what humanity considered normal. Hell, the man was so strong that there were stories that he'd been in ancient Greece, that his feats of immense god-like strength were responsible for the stories of Heracles.

Emiya Kiritsugu was concerned now, for not only was there an unknown factor in this war, said factor was extremely powerful in his own right. The Magus killer had a clean line of shot on Lancer's master, until Berserker interrupted, causing him to switch his focus. Thereby allowing him to witness the entire fight between servant and master.

It was disheartening to see. Not only had the redhead summoned King Arthur as Saber, he was capable of outright besting Berserker. Not to mention batting Avenger around like a drum before knocking Kiritsugu and his assistant, Maiya, out with some kind of energy-based attack.

Not to mention that the redhead was a magical swordsman. Apprenticed to an unknown master. All of these facts combined, meant that Mathias the First's 'danger rating' had just been 'taken to eleven' so to speak, in Kiritsugu's mind. And so, the Magus killer began plotting contingencies and plans to deal with this new element.

For his wish, for the sake of his dream. He would do whatever it took to make that dream a reality.

The Magus killer continued pondering this thought, safe within the boundaries of Einzbern castle. He continued scheming and plotting, even as his wife looked on, concerned for his well-being, even as Avenger, who was dressed in quite possibly one of the skimpiest outfits that Kiritsugu had ever had the misfortune to see, scoffed a little and moved to go towards her room in the castle, a strange gleam in her eye that he had seen in Irisviel's own when she was 'in the mood'.

Eventually, he came to a conclusion.

_Mathias must be taken out first, if our plans are to succeed. All others... It doesn't matter. Saber's master must die tonight._

He would do anything to ensure that his wish would be granted. That was who he was after all.

His original plan would have to be adjusted, to deal with this new variable, but that was acceptable.

"Maiya, Irisviel. Get ready, we're moving out tonight."

Over in the Maestro household, a wild-haired blond was just getting over the shock. "What? What do you mean I'm an Arielian now?"

"It means just what I said, love. It would seem that, in our passion, we inadvertently performed a tantric ritual, and the influx of a massive amount of my Arielian mana into your body's magic circuits had an unforeseen affect."

"You mean..." she started then blushed the color of a tomato. "That if I had been able to control my urges that this wouldn't have happened?"

"It is possible, but that is an event that we cannot consider now." Mathias told his shocked partner, who was looking at her scales covered arms in shock. and then at her tail as it curled itself into her view due her body having already adapted even if her mind hadn't.

"Love, I need to inform you of what abilities your new body holds." Mathias told her and she looked up, to see that familiar concern and care in his amber colored eyes. She was about to answer when a rumbling growl came from both their stomachs.

"I believe we should have breakfast first, Milady." he said with a grin and she returned it, instincts and ideals native to the body changing her personality to suit them.

After finishing their breakfast, Arturia shocked at how huge her appetite had become, Mathias brought her into the living room, where he sat down on the couch and pulled her with him, so that she landed in such a way that she was sitting in his lap sideways.

Once she was comfortable, amusingly with her head resting on his shoulder, Mathias began.

"I am sure that you have noticed that your senses are far keener now, correct?" he asked and she nodded.

"An Arielian's primary three senses, sight, sound, and smell, are stronger and more sensitive than a humans', we can see in pitch black with near perfect clarity as if it were mid-day, but our vision is overlaid in green. Our greater hearing and smell allows us to hear or smell things from farther away and with greater clarity." he told her and she nodded.

"Our bones and muscles are ten times more densely packed than a human's, allowing us to be far stronger and faster than a human of the same weight, leading to us being able to fight at millisecond speeds, but we can excel and reach ever greater levels of strength and power with training and or combat experience, the worse our injuries become, the stronger we become as we heal." he continued and she had a look of surprised awe on her face.

"Our biggest weaknesses, however, are our tails, with their enhanced touch receptors, the monthly power down spells, and our ravenous trencherman appetites. Should we not take in enough food during the day we will suffer the same drawbacks as a human but on a greater scale due to our rapid metabolisms, which fuel our physical and metaphysical abilities."

"And our tails?" Arturia asked as her tail flexes and moved so that it was laying on her lap, where she ran her hands along it's scales, marveling at the smooth yet subtle warmth the limb exuded. She was shocked, however, when her fingers gripped just right and a jolt of pleasure shot down her spine.

"I see you noticed, milady. When our tails are caressed just so, it has a powerful aphrodisiac affect, but should our tails be squeezed instead, the resulting pain will render us paralyzed and powerless for a short period unless we've trained to resist the pain and it's effect." Mathias told her.

"I see." Arturia responded, trying to hide a new eagerness to caress Mathias' tail. "What about the power down spells?"

"Ah yes, the power down spells. Once a month an Ariel-jin will temporarily lose as much as ninety percent of their power. The length of time is unique to the Arielian in question, and can last from a few hours to at least a week, once you have had your first one we will know how long yours will last." Mathias answered, receiving a nod in return.

After a few moments, the fox kit ran into the room and hopped up onto Arturia's lap, the blond taking one look and sniff at the kit before saying "accursed vixen." surprising herself as she said "Wait? You did say my sense of smell was much stronger now, right?"

Mathias nodded and said "Yes, your sense of smell is much more acute, thus you can distinguish the genders of animals by scent alone now." Arturia nodded as she stroked the little vixen's head behind the ears.

Arturia sighed in content before asking "What is our plan of action, love?"

Mathias gave a quick snort of amusement at her phrasing before saying "Mordred. She will be the biggest threat alongside Berserker, should he actually use that dragon killing Noble Phantasm of his."

"You know who he is?"

"Yes. Berserker is the traitor Lancelot."

"What?! Lancelot? Why?"

"I realized it during my battle with him, I felt all of that rage, the guilt, and the grief, and it was all directed at YOU. When I touched him with my ki sense it came back positive. Lancelot du Lac, Lancelot of the Lake, is the Berserker of this grail war."

Arturia was racked with disbelief at the news, but knew that Mathias had no reason to lie to her. Eventually she said "I concur, love. If it is Mordred and Lancelot, then..."

"This war has become exponentially more difficult." the redhead emperor growled in irritation. "First we have the King of Heroes summoned as Archer by one of the strongest magi in the war, then we have Lancelot as the Berserker, and we have to deal with Mordred. Mordred of all people, why did Emiya have to summon Mordred? I cannot kill my own student, I had enough of that with my own sons." Mathias said, his tone grief stricken as he remembered his sons from his second marriage, those bullheaded stubborn little idiots.

Why? Why did they have to get the idea in their heads that they had to be able to beat their father to be worthy of him, why could they not be satisfied with their own progress and work towards making the Empire stronger? Instead their foolish pride and stubbornness forced their father to have to fight and kill them in order to ensure the peace. It hurt Mathias, it hurt him deeply every time he thought about it. But, for the good of his people, for the good of the empire. He could not play favorites, especially after his sons went so far as to quite literally commit treason by attacking him with lethal force. If he showed them mercy, did not follow the law, then it would set a dangerous precedent with the idea that, as the Emperor, the law did not apply to him. It, in fact, ESPECIALLY applied to him for he had to stand as a pillar, as the image of a perfect Warrior-king, so that his people would have an ideal to aspire to.

"Is that your plan of action, then?"

"No. No, it is not. Not anymore. A good thing that came from last night, is that we learned the abilities and identities of most of the servants in the war, and their respective masters. Rider and Velvet are not that much of a threat, however, Emiya and Mordred... They have to be taken out or removed from play first."

He sighed, running one hand down Arturia's side to her hip while the arm remained behind her back, and began to speak once more.

"The problem is that they are situated in a castle of all things, making a front assault the height of foolishness. No... Arturia, would you disagree with the idea of an orbital bombardment?"

"It is the opposite of chivalry, but I understand that you are trying to limit the civilian casualties as much as possible."

"Mordred is a serious threat, even when she only has the use of one arm, and Emiya is a cunning opponent, an even more potent threat. I laid the seeds to their defeat last night."

"When you told Irisviel about the kit."

"Yes. I heard her thoughts, she desires to possess a nine-tailed fox kit, finds these little creatures to be incredibly cute. Should she get the chance, she will be coming here in order to find this little one." Mathias explained as he deftly stroked the kit along the neck and shoulders.

"Also, they will be coming out of the castle."

"To heal Avenger's arm, of course."

"They will target Lancer and Lancer's master, in order to treat Avenger's wound, which will only heal by destroying that spear or killing Lancer, meaning that they will have to leave the castle at some point."

"And that is when we will strike. I have no objections, love. Mordred is a threat, she lusts after you, lusts after you in a way that I cannot consider to be normal. Before the bombardment, i have one request, love. I wish to duel Avenger, face my inner demons honorably."

"You had but to ask." came Mathias' response.

While all of this was going on, Tōsaka Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei was making their own plans. Currently the schemers were located in Tokiomi's estate, the red-suited man reclining comfortably while his companion shuffled nervously in a corner.

"That saber... That will be trouble." Tokiomi spoke, breaking the frigid silence. "Her and her master... To think that someone could summon the legendary King of Knights, as Saber, and then proceed to fight not one but two servants head to head and not lose outright, succeeding in defeating them both."

Kirei had used his assassin to spy on the masters and servants last night. Rather, it was a manifestation on one aspect of Assassin, a clone. Gilgamesh had killed nothing but a clone the day before, causing the other masters to believe that Assassin had been eliminated, when in fact... The servant was hale and hearty.

"He shall have to be eliminated then, as he is a magician on top of that. He and his servant.. They will have to go first."

"Very well then." Kotomine replied curtly. "Assassin shall dispatch him then, as soon as we find his base of operations."

"Good. Even a man such as he cannot hope to survive an assault from the servant of silent murder. Even if he can face Berserker and Avenger head to head, he can still fall to the knife in his back."

Unfortunately, it would not be as simple as that. Assassin was an assassin, true, but Mathias had, by his profession, the assassin of assassins, the Goddess of Shadows manifested in physical form, directing his shinobi. Therefore... Killing him would not be as easy as that, as Tokiomi and Kirei were about to learn.

You have to feel sorry for him. Assassin that is.

Kotomine Kirei was in a state of excitement, or curiosity. He was wondering, just what was Emiya Kiritsugu's reason for existing, and he was also wondering...

_Just why on Earth are you so strong, Mathias the First? Why did you strive for strength? What is your purpose in life?_

This distorted man would get his answers, one way or another. One way or another... There was another in this war who had drawn his interest.


	11. Mystique and Intrigue Part II

**Imperial Clan Chronicles**

**Chapter 10**

**Mystique and Intrigue Part II**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, or ****Fate/Zero**

Mathias and Arturia were, for once, out on patrol. This was a new addition to their routine due to the fact that the shinobi of Draugr Corps, in response to Assassin's presence, had shown up in force, the original two teams being relieved by a planetary defense garrison. 30,000 shinobi and kunoichi, formerly on reserve status, now roamed the city under Kage's direct command.

They were dead set on ensuring that their emperor need no longer lack critical need to know information, information that could mean the difference between victory and defeat, life and death. Even the most innocent looking bit, a single shred of information, could save the lives of dozens if not hundreds of people if located and recovered in time, and that was something the shinobi of the Ariel Teikoku were striving for, to locate that critical piece of information and be praised by the Emperor for their efforts.

It was mid-day in Fuyuki City, another peaceful day. The populace were completely unaware of the destruction that had occurred the previous night, unaware that there was a war raging beneath this peaceful surface. Unaware that eight masters were ripping at one another's throats. The church had covered up the destruction at the docks effectively, spinning lies, weaving tales to conceal the nature of the Holy Grail War and preserve the secrecy of Magecraft.

It was just another day. Mathias sighed in content as he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms, relishing in the sunlight that shone down on him, basking his scales in it's warmth. It was hard to imagine that just last night, he was involved in a conflict of the supernatural. Hard to imagine that he'd actually found himself threatened with the possibility of an Anti-dragon attack the previous night.

Lancelot could have killed him, had he been himself. The maddened servant was extremely fast, strong, and skilled, which spoke volumes about the black knight, considering that Mathias was one of the three most powerful warriors of his people. If Lancelot had utilized his Noble Phantasm, there could very well have been one less unkempt redhead amongst the living. Fortunately for Mathias, Lancelot was too maddened by his own class skill to use his Noble Phantasm.

Berserker would be a ridiculously tough opponent were he to regain enough of his sanity. However, in comparison to that King of Heroes...

_While Berserker is a powerful threat, Archer is an even more powerful variable. And then there is Avenger, who is essentially the anti-thesis to King Arthur, and it just so happens that King Arthur, or rather, Queen Arturia, is now my lover._

_Avenger must be dealt with first_.

Which is why Mathias was now on patrol with his more petite servant and lover, to monitor enemy movements and assist the shinobi and kunoichi. He could have stayed at home and left it to them, however...

_I would not be the Emperor my people want and need if i were too cowardly to join my men on the field of battle._

And so Mathias found himself basking in the sun, like some overgrown house-cat or a lizard in the desert. He glanced over to his right side, where Arturia was currently standing, lowering long lashes over brilliant emerald green eyes shadowed by reddish-orange. Motes of dust could be seen floating in the brilliant beams of that ball of incandescent gas, light playing across her figure, along her half smile, along her half-lidded eyes.

Mathias felt fingers brush against his own tanned hand before softly taking it in. He smiled as he looked over, Arturia holding his hand in her own. The two relished in the feeling of companionship. Sadly, it was not to last long, as business had now found them.

"Love, do you see that?" the redhead motioned.

Arturia subtly tensed as she glanced in the direction her love was looking, sneaking a peek at a secluded alley were a slumped figure could barely be discerned by the human eye. "Yes, but i fail to see how this could be relevant to the war, love."

"It is quite relevant, dear. All too relevant." the redhead stood and began to walk to the alley, Arturia blinked in confusion as she followed him, his hand still in her own. She would trust him, she trusted and loved him in the past and the redheaded emperor had never been unable to deliver.

She trusted him.

A slumped over man, dressed in a shabby hoodie and jeans, with white hair and a disfigured face, was breathing laboriously. It was clear that he was in pain, crippling agonizing pain.

Mathias shook his head as he beheld the fallen figure.

"The things that you have done to yourself... Were they really necessary, Matō Kariya?"

The man who was sprawled on the ground lifted a weary head, and glared at the robed redhead in anger and contempt. "You know nothing of my life, or why this was necessary. Is there a point? Why are you here, Mathias the First, master of Saber?"

Mathias merely kept his expression calm "I am here to limit casualties as much as i possibly can while preventing the wrong person from winning the grail." his face gained a snarl as he knelt next to Kariya, who emitted another pain-filled grunt. "You are obviously suffering. By the Gods, what have you done?"

"Does it matter? Why do you care?"

"Is it wrong to care about your fellow man?"

"As if you know what it is like to care about someone." Kariya muttered sourly.

The redhead's expression never changed, though the look in his eyes said it all. "I understand now... Who is it that you are battling to protect?"

Wh... What?"

"It is, is it not? The reason you are fighting."

"What are you saying?" Kariya murmured in confusion.

"Matō Kariya, last scion of the Matō Clan. Estranged for many years, you left Fuyuki city and just came back one year ago at your father's request. You turned your back on the heritage of a magi, so why? Why would you come back, why would you compete in a war, like this?" Intense amber fixated on Kariya's eyes, one dead and the other pain-filled. "Why are you a master, Matō Kariya?"

"How do you know this much?" the shabbily dressed man asked, trembling in fear, or rage. "You know this much..."

"If you thought i would go into a battle without information as to my opponent's capabilities, without intelligence, then you are underestimating me severely." Mathias explained. "I gathered information on the masters, you know."

"...Heh, heh, ha." Kariya began laughing, chuckling, almost maniacally. "You know this much, and you still know nothing..."

"I see, who is that piece of filth holding for ransom?"

"You got it. I never wanted any of this, but i had no choice. There's a girl that I have to save."

"Girl? Not a wife, you are not married. An illegitimate or adopted daughter, perhaps."

"She's essentially a daughter to me." Kariya muttered. "I have to save her from that worm... He promised to let her go, if I won the grail."

Mathias blew air through his nose, the rush of air blowing trash around. "You love her very much, if you are willing to sacrifice yourself in this manner for her sake."

"I have to win, and you're in my way." Kariya sighed. "I'm sorry for this, but it must be done. Ber-"

Kariya froze when he felt the tips of two swords dig into his throat, held by the redhead who was acting so casually not too long ago and his blond-haired lover.

"Finish that sentence and we shall see who is faster. Our blades or your servant." Mathias hissed in cold fury, his eyes seemingly becoming slits. This was not the kind and benevolent ruler of men who idly chatted with the Matō master, who was relaxed and unconcerned about meeting an enemy magi. This was a professional soldier. A man who had no qualms about killing if it would defend his people.

Kariya felt despair, for Mathias and Saber had moved much faster than he could perceive. Even if he could summon Berserker, he would be leaving a pool of blood with his head lopped off before the servant of madness could counter the two swordsmen's movements.

But... He would fight back. Because Sakura would suffer if he didn't. He had to save Sakura, he had to save Sakura, he had to-

Therefore Kariya was shocked when the two swords, one visible and the other not, moved away from his throat, and were sheathed once more.

"You are serious about this, are you not? You really love her." Mathias mused. "Who am i to deprive a man of his loved ones?" the redhead began walking away, with Arturia right alongside him.

"W... Wait. You're just going to leave me alone? You know, i could stab you in the back, right?"

Mathias stopped and turned, so that he could look Kariya in the eyes.

"You are a good man Mato Kariya. Your clan is undeserving of a man with even half of your courage and valor."

"I can still stab you in the back..."

"If you believe the repercussions are worth living with, go ahead. Just know, I made a promise to continue living. I will not die quietly, and my people will seek vengeance."

Kariya went silent at this, for while he could sic Berserker on Mathias, the redheaded master had literally held his life in his hands, and let him go. Before, he would have just plain killed the man to be one step closer to freeing Sakura...

_He wasn't lying when he said he knows my situation, and he..._

"Wait. I know that this is rather sudden, but... Can you help me with a matter?" the dying man gritted out. The crest worms implanted in his body were burning, eating away at his brain and nervous system. It was excruciating pain.

"Oh? And what is this matter that you require assistance with?"

"You seem like a good man, and you know of my family..."

"Of your family, not about your family."

"Well you are still better than my piece of shit father..." Kariya trailed off. "Anyway... That old vampire... Do you know, he's lived well over five hundred years now."

"Has he now? That is an exceedingly long time for a human to live, I take it he uses the arcane arts to do so."

"He has familiars, worms. He uses blood worms to stay alive."

The redheaded warrior-king loosed a subconscious shudder in revulsion. "Those vile things?"

"He's composed of them. His body is composed of his familiars, a conglomerate of worms with a special appetite for human flesh and blood that combine themselves to take a human form."

Mathias' eyes widened slightly in realization. "He implanted those things inside you to simulate magic circuits, did he not?"

"Guess who else he did it to."

The redhead's entire continence changed in an instant, gone was any sign of care, of warmth. In it's place was a rage so immense that it was palpable as he suddenly loosed an incredibly loud roar of rage into the sky and his aura, once a shining rainbow of color, was transformed into a bloody red of pure, unadulterated rage.

"_That Creator be damned cock-sucking son-of-a-whore! To violate a child's innocence like that, I refuse to allow that piece of shit to live any longer!_" he roared into the air as everything around him was surrounded in a fog the color of freshly spilled blood, that quickly spread to cover the entire city.

People ran for cover as a sense of ill-will and dread slammed into them with the force of a sledgehammer, as if an angry god were descending to loose his wrath on the sinful mortals. Mathias' killing intent, his willingness to kill, was too great for any human to truly withstand, and his fellow masters learned that all to well as they were suddenly bombarded by by visions of their own deaths, the visions getting ever more violent and brutal as they kept on coming.

On the massive battleship in orbit, members of the crew were shaking in abject terror as the feeling hit the ship. The killing intent was extreme and very powerful, even though the fog it created couldn't reach the ship, the feelings it caused COULD. The unaware crewmen turned to their comrades and asked "Why are you shaking like that? What is up with His Majesty?"

One of the officers, the ship's vice captain based on his insignia, turned to the crewman and replied "Tha... That is his majesty's righteous anger. He only gets into this state when something that is extremely morally irreprehensible is brought to his attention."

"What does that have to do with why you're all so terrified of him?"

"You don't understand, the last time he got like this... An entire planet was burned until it's surface was not but GLASS!" came the answer and the unafraid crewmen suddenly joined their fellows in the terror of feeling their Emperor's deadly killing intent.

"How old is she?" came the growling question from Mathias' lips.

"Five years old."

At this proclamation, Mathias' rage was inflamed ever higher, his intent to kill heightened to greater and greater heights as his eyes seemingly burst into flames and the armor of an Elder God returned.

"As infuriating as this is to me, why did you tell me?"

"I want to make a deal with you. You seem to be a good man."

"Your only proof is my actions thus far. I am your enemy in this war, why do you ask me for help?"

Kariya laughed again. "You're admitting it. That immediately makes you more trustworthy than the other magi in this war. I don't even care about the cup, i just want to save Sakura. I'm so pathetic, that I need to go to a total stranger for help... That's low of me, but please, I beg of you... Just save her, please."

"I swear this to you, Matō Kariya. I, Mathias the First, Ruler of Ariel and leader of her peoples, will save this child, Sakura, for you. In exchange I want your assistance from this point on in the war."

"So long as you rescue her from my bastard of an uncle."

"Agreed. Desperate men do desperate things in times of need. You are a courageous man, Matō Kariya. To go this far to save one girl... Your willpower and mental fortitude are commendable, very commendable."

"Will you do it then? Will you save her?"

"I gave you my word, did I not?"


End file.
